Fourth edition of Barcelona Wine Week attracts 21,000 visitors

Nearly 21,000 people flocked to the fourth edition of Barcelona Wine Week, which took place from Monday to Wednesday this week in Barcelona.

The wine event brought together 952 wineries from 73 different Spanish DO regions, and experienced a 15% growth in both exhibitor numbers and space. Looking ahead, organizers have plans to expand the venue next year.

Most of the attendees were professionals, with 20% hailing from international destinations. Over the course of the event, more than 12,000 business meetings took place.

Exhibiting companies engaged in discussions with numerous Spanish buyers and 650 importers from countries including the United States, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and China.

Drought hits wine industry

During the event, Juve & Camps CEO Meritxell Juvé pointed out that the drought is a "major problem" for winemakers. 

She said that the current vintage will be half the size of last year's due to the lack of water, resulting in a production of only 25% compared to the 2021 harvest. 

"Solutions need to be found so that vine cultivation can continue," said Juvé. 

In the same vein, Josep Lluís Llabrés, of the Can Majoral winery in Mallorca, said that if the rain continues to fail, production will also fall. 

"At the moment, the vines are withstanding this water stress quite well, but if it doesn't rain in a month or two, some will start to die," he warned. 

For his part, Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, admitted that the drought situation is "worrying" and assured that the Spanish government is "in contact" with the Catalan authorities to find "positive solutions".

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