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The Minister of Culture, Tourism, Sport, and Youth, José Luis Pérez Pastor, and the Director General of Tourism and Territorial Promotion, Virginia Borges, today, November 18, presented the First La Rioja Food and Wine Conference, which will take place on December 1 at the La Rioja Conference Center, Riojaforum, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Through various talks, professional meetings, and presentations, the event will highlight La Rioja’s leadership in gastronomy and wine tourism. This event in Logroño will serve as a meeting point for winegrowers, wineries, producers, hoteliers, chefs, researchers, distributors, and artisans who make our region a benchmark for food and wine.
Pérez Pastor highlighted how in La Rioja “it is no longer possible to explain winemaking without mentioning the region’s gastronomy, which is distinguished by its variety, its contemporary dialogue with other cuisines, and its diversity in formats and prices. All of this is underpinned by the undeniable quality of the product.” This diversity of agents involved in the sector, including producers, hoteliers, theorists, and managers, he continued, encourages the creation of “an event where they can talk to each other, meet, exchange ideas, and listen to other experiences, through which they can recognize opportunities, identify where to strengthen their work together, and, fundamentally, recognize that food and wine is not a single product, but the sum of many actions and products.”
The program proposed for the event, aimed at professionals in the sector, as Borges explained, “was created to recognize this diversity, to put the spotlight on those who make it possible and to show that La Rioja is a region where food and wine are important, very important. Because the continuity of La Rioja—its projection, its appeal, its ability to renew itself without losing its roots—depends on these agents being able to work together, with ambition and perspective.”
The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a presentation on food and wine as identity: from the product to the story of the region, given by Eva Ballarín, a researcher into gastronomic trends. Next, as Borges has explained, it will be time to discuss ‘La Rioja that can be tasted: Voices and projects’, moderated by Fernando Sáenz de Obrador Grate.
With the aim of highlighting the value of projects, products, and producers from La Rioja, Elena Martínez from Embutidos y Jamones Martínez Somalo will share her projects and experiences. Miguel Caño and his Nublo Experience (Haro), Demetrio Domínguez with the Victoria Experience, Roberto Puras from the Association for the Tourist Development of the Barrio de la Estación de Haro, Pilar Zamajón from the La Rioja Mushroom Interpretation Center, and Sixto Cabezón with the Pera de Rincón de Soto PDO.
The event will continue with short professional meetings to promote contacts and collaborations in the world of food and wine, with personalized agendas for all participants. Shared experiences will also be represented in a dynamic, guided forum in which these projects and experiences will be shared in three-minute presentations. Among others, Javier Pascual from the Riojan Academy of Gastronomy, Marina Grijalba from Riojatrek, a tourism service specializing in wine tourism, and José Félix Paniego from the La Rioja Sommeliers Association will speak at this event.
The day will end with a participatory session, carried out through working groups where all the professionals, divided into small groups, will share ideas and proposals to strengthen Rioja’s food and wine culture and its projection in these spaces. The moderators will be Virginia Borges, Director General of Tourism and Territorial Promotion; Fernando Sáenz, from Obrador Grate – Heladería Dellasera; Abencio Millán, from the La Rioja School of Hospitality and Tourism; Esther Rubio, from the Association for the Development of Eastern Rioja (ADR); Marta García, from CEIP Rural La Rioja; and Alfonso Maestro, from the Association for the Development of Upper Rioja (ADRA).
In this regard, Borges emphasized that “this event seeks to generate encounters, action, and dynamism, becoming a common starting point from which to continue thinking, creating, and cooperating. We will be a space to listen to each other, share perspectives, and better understand how we want Rioja’s food and wine culture to evolve in the coming years.”
With the aim of inspiring, exciting, and activating the sector, as well as recognizing the identity, talent, and pride of our region, this event is aimed at all professionals in the food and wine sector in all its areas: agri-food production, processing, artisan food production, cooking, hospitality, distribution, communication, specialized press, institutions, and other agents linked to food and wine who wish to participate in this event, coordinated by the Directorate General of Tourism and Territorial Promotion.
