CHARLIE ARTURAOLA: "FENAVIN THINKS GLOBALLY, NOT LOCALLY"

The internationally renowned Senior Wine Sommelier and Professor of Wine, will be in charge of leading four chats that will undertake matters as stimulating as "Spain, the Top Designations of Origin" or "Wines that are Good Quality for Money… that will enthrall us"

The internationally renowned Senior Wine Sommelier and Professor of Wine, Charlie Arturaola, will be bringing four proposals to FENAVIN, which is to take place in Ciudad Real from May 10th to the 12th, with the very stimulating titles of "Spain, the Top Designation of Origin", "Pedigree Wines from Castilla La Mancha, "Wines that are Good Quality for Money… that will enthrall us" or "The Battle of the Palate: White, Rosé and Red Bubbles".

Arturaola, who will be coming in to Fenavin thanks to the Castellano-Manchego IPEX (Institute for Foreign Promotion of Castilla-La Mancha), highlights the important work that the trade fair is carrying out, underlining that "FENAVIN thinks globally, not locally", praising the great and precise machine that is behind this organization, "which understands synchronization of this great wine trade." And this is the reason, according to the famous sommelier that this trade fair has achieved what nobody else has been capable of: "to open borders and business to the wineries of all of Spain."

In this sense, Charlie Arturaola pointed out that "this trade fair puts on display all that is new, trendy and innovative, educating us and sending us home, by the thousands, thinking about visiting a winery or a region that we have come to know at the trade fair". In the opinion of this professional, this trade fair "inspires all of us who make up the wine business to create and spread the word about these new regions and small wineries that are arising."

Arturaola also added that "FENAVIN, in just ten years has managed to capitalize and commercialize, promote and fraternize with the entire world of wine in just three days, reaching markets as far flung as India, Vietnam, China or Hong Kong, which is something that no other trade fair has achieved."

Four fascinating proposals for the senses

This Senior Sommelier and Professor will be offering four chats within the frame of FENAVIN. The first of them, "Spain, the Top Designations of Origin" will be taking place on May 10th, with the three remaining following-up on May 11th, all of them set to be held in the Custodio Zamarra tasting hall.

Arturaola has chosen a great variety of wines and grape stocks from the country for his first chat, all of which are giving rise to much talk. According to its director, this chat is based on the denominations that are being promoted the most in Canada and the United States, and also in markets such as Brazil and Hong Kong.

Highly consolidated designations of origin will be tasted during the session, such as Rías Baixas, Valedoras, Txacoli Getariako, Ribera del Duero, La Mancha, Rioja, Navarra and El Bierzo, dissemination of which has been very important in the last few years on the international market, according to Arturaola. During this session he will be talking about renowned vine stocks, and a few that are not quite as known, although they are also regional and correspond to "blends" of each designation of origin, hence covering all sorts of styles, prices and a wide range in which quality is the predominant factor.

The three tasting sessions that will take place on May 11th are all dedicated to Castilla-La Mancha. High-end wines will be tasted in the first of these tasting sessions with Arturaola, "Pedigree Wines from Castilla-La Mancha", during which a variety of styles and prices will be investigated. Hence analyzing a phenomenon that has recently taken place, which is the arrival in this region of great wine families such as Alejandro Fernández, Freixenet or Martínez Bujanda, along with other personalities from the world of sports, as is the case of the new wine maker Iniesta, FC Barcelona player.

"We will have to try these wines in order to prove to the rest of the worlds that these wines are overflowing with style, tannins, fruitiness, balance, harmony and that they can easily compete with those that have achieved worldwide fame," the sommelier stated.

This session will be followed by the tasting session "Wines that are Good Quality for Money… that will enthrall us". Charlie Arturaola has chosen wines that have a good quality-price ratio for this tasting session, "wines that will undoubtedly enthrall the importers that participate in the tasting session."

Arturaola is of the opinion that the wine's price is not a determining factor of its quality, as what the taster is actually looking for in a wine is harmony between its elements. "There are excellent wines in this region that have a good quality-price ratio, barely 1,25 Euros a bottle, although there are also 'super super Premium' wines that can be bought for 20-30 Euros and that make the region proud. These are indeed enticing prices for a foreign buyer, because currently it is not easy to find 'gems' like this anywhere else in the world." He also adds two more factors to this situation: the variety of wines in the region in which autochthonous grape varieties are being combined with international varieties. "Experts all agree that the important thing in wine is its taste in the mouth and not the price," he adds.

In the shape of desert, Arturaola announces that "there will be many surprises in "The Battle of the Palate". The new and mystical wineries, which are offering modern wines with personality, silky smooth tannins and fruity textures, are leaving behind the endless years of ageing and offering a refreshing vanguard style of young wines."