The Diplomat
ICEX Spain Export and Investment and the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) have renewed their collaboration agreement to coordinate their respective actions to disseminate, train and promote Spanish wines abroad, according to a press release issued yesterday.
Specifically, the collaboration between the two institutions since its inception in 2019 has borne important fruit over the years to boost the internationalisation of Spanish wine.
The FEV, for example, is a member of the certifying committee of the Restaurants from Spain seal and of the Mesa de la Gastronomía Española, from where it works to promote international recognition of the excellence and diversity of our wines and the sector’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.
The agreement includes the organisation and development of a joint annual work plan, in which not only seminars and discussion forums on the internationalisation of the wine sector are promoted, but also international promotion activities such as technical seminars, seminars on opportunities in strategic markets and reverse missions for buyers and opinion leaders, among other actions.
It also establishes the participation of ICEX officials in FEV committees and working groups to exchange useful information for companies.
The agreement was ratified by the president of the FEV, Emilio Restoy, and the CEO of ICEX, María Peña, as a prelude to the Conference on the Keys to the internationalisation of Spanish Gastronomy that both institutions co-organised yesterday together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The session analysed the different models by which Spanish gastronomy is becoming an international reference abroad. Chefs such as José Andrés, Nacho Manzano, Dani García and Quique Dacosta are undisputed benchmarks for haute cuisine in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, just as Spanish hotel chains are playing a leading role in this phenomenon.
A review was also made of the instruments that the State Administration has designed to support these companies, specifically those offered by ICEX, COFIDES and ICO.
In Spain, there are around 4,500 wineries, of which more than 2,100 have been exporting regularly for at least the last four years, and more than 1,000 have a turnover abroad of more than 50,000 euros.
Thus, Spain is the world’s leading exporter in volume, with just over 23.5 million hectolitres sold abroad in 2021, and is among the three largest exporters in the world in value, with just over 2,900 million euros invoiced in international markets in the same year.
The wine industry was one of the industries that suffered the most during the pandemic due to the significant restrictions imposed on mobility and social life during that period.
