We take part in the Hotel Wine Fest food-and-wine awards

From 22 January to 5 February, some of Spain's leading wine Designations of Origin taking part in Barcelona Wine Week paired up with the city's most emblematic and exclusive hotels to showcase their wineries' wines beyond the fair.

The participating hotels created and sold two different offerings to pair with the sponsoring Designation of Origin's wines: a tapa/small dish and a tasting menu, competing for the "Best Alimentos de España Pairing" Award at Hotel Wine Fest 2025, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

At each hotel visitors could taste, without booking, a tapa or small dish paired with a wine from the hosted Designation of Origin and inspired by each territory's culinary tradition.

The participating PDOs and hotels were: DO Cava (El Palace Barcelona), DO Rueda (Cotton House Hotel), DO Utiel-Requena (Majestic Hotel & Spa), DO Alicante (Monument Hotel), DO Valencia (Mandarin Oriental Barcelona), DO Jumilla (Grand Hotel Central), DO Yecla (Kimpton Vividora Hotel) and DO Bullas (Hotel Neri Relais & Châteaux).

The jury's verdict, confirmed by  was announced on Wednesday 5 February at 1 p.m. in the Speakers Corner by AECOC (hall 1) at Barcelona Wine Week (Fira de Barcelona). 

The professional jury responsible for assessing and granting the award was made up of David Robledo (director of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce sommelier course), Esther Iglesias (winegrower and oenologist), Agustín Trapero (sommelier and consultant), María José Huertas (head sommelier at the Paco Roncero restaurant) and Gemma Moliner (head of Communication and Gastronomy at Prodeca).

The award  looks for the best harmony between a wine and a tapa or small dish inspired by the local cuisine of its Designation of Origin, and went to the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona hotel with the tapa: socarrat nigiri with esgarraet, paired with Malvasía Blanco 2023 from the Clos De Lom winery, DO Valencia.

https://hotelwinefest.com/