The Movimento Turismo del Vino (Wine Tourism Movement) is an association created in 1993 that has encouraged Italian wineries to open their doors to visitors: Italy has now become the country of “Cantine Aperte,” the annual event organised by MTV on the last Sunday of May. MTV is a non-profit association with the aim of promoting wine tourism and improving the wine areas’ image and prestige, as well as their economic development. MTV wants to stand for protection of the environment and for quality agriculture; promoting a natural life-style that puts the visitor at the centre of attention. Read More
Wineries working together that’s Cantine Aperte
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Bathing our taste buds in effervescent pixie nectar at Finca Valldosera
We arrived, on a warm Saturday morning, at Finca Valldosera´s sun-drenched estate, tucked amidst its many vineyards and expansive pine forest of the low-to-middle Penedes. Immediately, we piled into a four-wheel drive vehicle and climbed to the top of a nearby peak to survey the local geography. With scattered vines below, the bumpy ride up a winding road was well worth the view. To the north you see the Pyrenees and Montserrat, hills to the west, and, on a clear day, the mediterranean glimmers in the East. From here, there is no debate: the grass at this vineyard is greener than in the neighboring vineyards of Vilafranca de Penedes down the other side of the mountain. Read More
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Healthy Singapore wine market brings Our Wine Arcade to Wine Pleasures Workshops
The wine scene in Singapore has not always been as vibrant as it is today. The country may have British roots, but wine drinking was traditionally the province of the well-heeled and the upper-class, but not ingrained in the daily life of the majority of the population. Twenty years ago, it was only the hotels that boasted decent wine lists – and those were predominantly French wines. The last ten years have proven to be revolutionary, and part of the change is a by-product of the surge in Australian wines. The fruit-forward styles, without the puckering tannins that people usually associate with French wines, coupled with consumer friendly prices, mean that the middle-class can now easily afford a bottle of wine.
This wine drinking culture is further buoyed by the rise of Generation X, who studied Read More
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Massis de Garraf an Exceptional Terroir for Spanish Wine
The Penedes region is Catalonia’s largest region in terms of size and production, and covers an area of 27,000 hectares of vineyards. Varieties include Macabeo, Chardonnay, Subirat Parent, Xarel·lo and Parellada white vines, as well as the red varieties of Mazuela, Garnacha, Samsó, Ull de Llebre, Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Finca Valldosera, located in the Massis de Garraf, produces excellent estate cavas and wines in an interesting microclimate in the region of Penedes. The winery is situated approximately seven kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, and the hills forming the Massís reach a height of 500 meters, forming a surprising craggy landscape which is made up of two very different parts: one of chalky and sedimentary rocks and the other, a reef of reddish sand on the eastern part of the plain’s nature reserve. Read More
Topic: Wine Tours, Wine Workshops 1 Comment
Fine Wine Collections hunting Savagely for boutique Iberian wines
Boston, USA based Barry Savage is a Buyer Meets Iberian Cellar veteran looking forward to another successful event this year in the Sitges, Spain. Barry grew up on a winery in Australia and has always had an interest in wine, so five years ago Barry leveraged his 30+ years in the import/export business and started Fine Wine Collections, Inc., focusing initially on high quality boutique wines from Australia and New Zealand. We were fortunate to speak with Barry about his views on Spanish wines and the BMIC event. Below are his answers to our questions.
1. You attended the Buyer Meets Iberian Cellar workshop last year and we’re happy have you join us again this year, what is it about the workshop that keeps you coming back?
Firstly, the format is great. It’s valuable to have the opportunity to meet one on one with Cellars from a number of countries and maximize the use of time in direct dialogue with each Cellar. The large Trade Shows cannot match the value of this experience as too much time is lost moving between stands and discussions are in a rushed and impersonal environment. Read More
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Boutique producers all set to meet boutique wine importers at BMIC 2012
The 2012 Buyer Meets Iberian Cellar (BMIC) and 2012 International Organic Workshop (IOW) event on February 27, 2012 will be held in beautiful Sitges, Spain at the beachside Hotel Estela. Cellars will be showing a variety of white, red, and rose wines, cavas and sparkling wines, all from some of the best regions in Spain, Portugal, and France.
At the event will be wines from Spanish DO’s and DOCa’s Rioja, Montsant, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Penedes, Jerez, Alicante, Utial-Requena, a Spanish DOP from Granada, a Portuguese DOC’s Bairrada, Douro, and a Portuguese
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Have a glass of wine ready! IWINETC 2012 Programme available!
The IWINETC 2012 online Conference Programme and IPhone App are officially Ready! Download the App for moment to moment access to all of the talks, Speakers and Speaker profiles, Daytime Tours and Evening Activities, Social Programme, Workshop Participants and information, and conference news!
You will find content about the Plenary Sessions with Michael Wangbickler and his talk “Wine tourism does not exist. There is only tourism”, Jane Hunt’s “A Personal View – Success and Pitfalls”, Chiara Lungarotti’s “Italian Wineries Speak and a New Tourism Strategy is Born”, and “Croatia as a grape escape destination” by Zlatan Muftic. Read More
Topic: Wine Conference 1 Comment
It’s art and wine at DO Mallorca’s sun drenched Macià Batle
It’s a place where you get 300 days of sun a year and where winemaking dates back to the time of the Roman’s in 123 B.C. It’s the Island of Mallorca, an 8-hour ferry ride from Barcelona or Valencia. It was here in 1856 that now one of the largest wineries on the Island started out, Macià Batle.
With 120 hectares of vines you are spoilt for choice. The grape varietals range from those native grapes of Mallorca like Prensal Blanc and Mantonegro to the more international grapes of Chardonnay and Syrah. With only 20% of their production being exported it is nearly a must to go to the winery to see what Mallorcian winemaking is all about. Read More
Topic: Wine Tours, Wineries Review 1 Comment
Mallorca’s Island Wine Elixirs.
Set on the beautiful island of Mallorca (or Majorca, whichever you prefer) in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea you will find the traditional yet modern Bodega of José Luis Ferrer (JLF). With old presses and pumps lying around the place you are sure to get a feel for the romantic vision of the young adventurer José Luís Ferrer when he began this now illustrious Bodega in 1931.
A visit to JLF is in two parts. Firstly you walk through the old winery from 1931 with its massive concrete tanks to where the old fashion grape stomping took place. If you are lucky enough to visit throughout mid-August to mid-October you will be able to see all the harvesting and processing of the grapes in action in the new part of the winery which was built in 1996. Read More
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Istria & Vinistra pave the way for wine & culinary tourism in Croatia
When many people think of Croatia they do not think of wine and culinary Tourism. Think again! The Croation National Tourist Board breaks Croatian down into digestible chunks and include Kvarner, Dalmazia, Zagrabria Slavonia and Istria.
Istria (or ISTRA to Croats) is where Continental Croatia meets the Adriatic Sea. The coast or “Blue Istra” gets flooded with “beach and sun” tourists. Head inland to “Green Istra” and you’ll notice that crowds dissipate, hotels complexes give way to charming rural accommodations set within unspoiled countryside of medieval hilltop towns, pine forests, fertile valleys and vineyard- dotted hills. Read More »