Day one of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain 2023 saw wine enthusiasts from Spain, and beyond, gather to learn and share experiences and knowledge about wine and winemaking.

For the third consecutive year, the international wine event, hosted by Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2023, the most important gastronomy congress in the world, offers a complete programme of presentations, demonstrations, tastings and learning sessions.

Taking place at the IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid, The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, also features a buzzy tasting zone where visitors can learn about wines and meet the makers.

Kicking off the day with a fascinating presentation, sommelier Kristell Monot outlined the singular approach to wine pairing at Mugaritz**. In the presentation Vis a vis: Mugaritz and its collection of wines, a journey through the pairing, Monot described the unique concept, now in its second year.

Assembled in collaboration with wine producers, this collection of 15 wines is available only in Mugaritz. During the restaurant’s six-month period of investigation and development and preparation for a new season, the sommelier team travels to

“We don’t necessarily go for a set flavour profile to match food. It is not just about contrast and balance. We look for common flavours and the most important thing is the story behind the dish,” she said.

Conceived with the DNA of the pioneering restaurant in the Basque Country in mind, Vis a vis reflects the searching approach of chef Andoni Luis Aduriz.

“We like to do things differently and we don’t follow the classic sequential order of starter, main course and dessert. What we want to do is to break the rules of the game; we want to open minds as well as mouths,” says Monot

Next, in a session focused on exploration and discovery, a group of esteemed and intrepid winemakers from across Spain took to the stage to talk about a shared curiosity in discovering new wine regions; embracing new methods and products while respecting traditions.

Chaired by Pedro Ballesteros MW the roundtable session entitled Undiscovered Spain featured panellists Andreas Kubach MW (Península Vinicultores), Pepe Mendoza (Casa Agrícola), Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses (CEO of Alma Carraovejas), Loreto Pancorbo (Wine Consultant in vinos in Támdem SC) and Luis Sande. The group shared their experiences from winemaking journeys in established and new winemaking regions.

“Exploring is very beautiful. Yes, we need a compass to know where we are going, but sometimes we need to understand that where the compass is pointing toward is not necessarily where we should be going. Sometimes you need to go off the main path and explore something very different. You never know what you will find,” said Pepe Mendoza capturing the essence of this roundtable session.

With the spotlight on the tradition and potential of wine regions, Andreas Kubach spoke of gaining new perspectives on La Rioja while Luis Sande outlined the old vineyards of the Galician area of Betanzos where he makes his wine.

“It is vital to understand where we come from in order to flourish. There is no innovation without tradition,” concluded Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses.

From Denmark, Chef Eric Vildgaard of Restaurant Jordnær** in Copenhagen came together with Søren Grunnet Løvenlund, the owner of caviar wholesaler GastroUnika and Xavier Monclus, brand ambassador of La Maison de Champagne in a session with a focus on caviar as an active ingredient and how it is paired with Dom Perignon.

Vildgaard explained that too often caviar is an add-on rather than the core of a dish. “For many years I saw caviar as something fancy you put on top of a bad dish to make it expensive,” he said.

A meeting with GastroUnika changed his mind and today Jordnær includes several caviars on the menu.

Løvenlund, described an uncompromising approach to sourcing his caviar –

“I have five conditions: It must look beautiful, taste good, it can’t include additives, it mustn’t be repacked and I work exclusively with sustainable farms,” he said.

Joining from La Maison de Champagne, Xavier Monclus outlined the qualities of Dom Perignon champagne that make it the perfect match for caviar.

Concluding a busy first day of The Wine Edition 2023, it was standing room only for a session with wines from Jerez in the spotlight. The session Copa Jerez: 20 years challenging limits followed the final of the Spanish edition of Copa Jerez, an international competition which is all about gastronomic pairing of the wines from Jerez.

The competition, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, sees chef and sommelier working in partnership to create three dishes – starter, main course and dessert – pairing each of them with a different wine from Jerez.

Copa Jerez was created with the mission to bring wines from Jerez to the mainstream, to dining tables across the world.
“In 2003, when Copa Jerez was created, wines from Jerez were known but mainly as an aperitif and the role of wines of Jerez is transformed today,” said Carmen Aumesquet from the regulatory council of who presented alongside José Ferrer, ambassador of Jerez wines in gastronomy.

After a morning of presentations, the finalists – Ambivium * Peñafiel, Atrio*** Cáceres, Slow and Low* Barcelona, Casa Marcial**, Arriondas – outlined their pairings before the winning team from Ambivium in Peñafiel was announced as Spain’s team in the Copa Jerez International, taking place on 3-4 October 2023.

Away from the main auditorium, on day one of The Wine edition Wines from Spain, the tasting room featured a range of fascinating presentations, from a talk on the wines of the volcanic landscapes of Tenerife to the 60-year tale of Jean Leon, starting with dreams in Hollywood and ending with winemaking venture in the Peñedes.