The organisation RECEVIN (Red Europea de Ciudades del Vino), which brings together more than 600 cities in wine-producing areas in eleven European countries, has chosen the European Wine City 2025. This happened during a meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels.
During the event, two Spanish candidates presented themselves: Cariñena and the Valencian city of Requena. The city previously participated in the election in 2020, and this time managed to win the European Wine City 2025 award. Cariñena succeeds the region of Alto Piemonte and Gran Monferrato, in Italy.
A large delegation
To defend the Cariñena project in the vote, a large delegation travelled to Brussels, which Mayor Sergio Ortiz described as “very representative of the institutions and of those of us who worked side by side on the candidacy”. The mayor of Cariñena, Sergio Ortiz, led the delegation. Ortiz has stressed that the city will “promote the D.O. Cariñena and the wines of Aragón and highlight the value of what we are, a land traditionally dedicated to viticulture”.
Presentation taken care of down to the last detail
The presentation to the jury was supported by Aragón’s genius Francisco de Goya, played by the singer and actor Augusto González, member of the well-known group B Vocal, who spoke about the excellence of Cariñena as a European Wine City, in interaction with Sergio Ortíz. The presentation ended with an iota sung by the painter and choreographed by the dancers Alejandra Ezpeleta and Hugo Vijuesca.
Boost for designation of origin and the region
The Cariñena City Council, the initiator of the nomination in collaboration with the Cariñena Designation of Origin, the municipalities, and the Vino de las Piedras wine tourism route, stressed that this title “will make it possible to promote the Cariñena Designation of Origin and the wines of the area, giving them a boost at an international level”.
The title will contribute to promoting the entire Campo de Cariñena wine region and the towns that make up the D.O. Cariñena. It is also a boost for the excellent gastronomy of the area. The D.O. Cariñena will organise meetings in 2025 of the main wine-producing entities in Spain: the Conference of Regulatory Councils, the Spanish Wine Federation, and the cooperatives of the sector.
Three partner municipalities also involved
It also offers opportunities internationally. For example, given the European dimension of the title, the Cariñena municipal council has entered into discussions with the three partner municipalities in France, Germany, and Romania and with other European countries linked to wine culture.
Many expressions of support
The mayor of Cariñena underlined the “enormous institutional support and that of the entire Aragónese society” that the wine region has received. This is evident from the 329 statements of support from institutions, economic organisations, cultural entities, companies, the media, etc., which were also presented to the jury.
In particular, the Government of Aragón has shown its commitment to the initiative, announcing “extraordinary initiatives” to participate in the development of the program.