Spain's Young Wine Talents meet in Penedès

After two editions in the Basque Country, the Young Wine Talents Meeting took place at Gramona\'s estate in Penedès. More than 100 young growers, producers, sommeliers and communicators travelled to Catalonia to enjoy a day of talks, tastings, learning and bottle-sharing. 

Organised by EDA Drinks & Wine Campus and Gramona, the meeting sought to create a network of young winemakers where they could share their concerns and reflect on the challenges of the present and the future. 

The first speaker was Jordi Urbea, AI expert and vice-president of Ogilvy Spain, who sent a couple of unequivocal messages to young people: "Embrace artificial intelligence or let it sweep you away. More than being on a wine list or a shop display, the key to communication in the coming years is to know your consumers and build relationships that set you apart in an increasingly competitive market, hence the importance of collecting data." 

Biodynamic viticulture, of which the host winery is a strong advocate, was one of the main topics of the event, with a talk by the viticulturist and educator David Baixas, who focused on the fundamentals of this discipline and advocated calm observation in the field. "We have overlooked all the knowledge we had prior to the Industrial Revolution and we have confused the reproductive generosity of nature with production. Intuition is an extension of rational science and AI will never replace that," said Baixas.

Later, attendees actively participated in three workshops on biodynamic preparations, dynamisation and pruning. On a splendid sunny day, lunch was served outdoors among vines, sheep and horses and was accompanied by the wines of the young participants, all in an atmosphere of companionship that would have been unthinkable just 25 years ago. 

After the break, there was a tasting with six sparkling wines from Catalonia, the Basque Country, Germany and Champagne and their producers: Jessica Madigan (Cisteller), Carlos Lz de Lacalle (Izar Leku), Julie de Sousa (De Sousa), Thibault Legrand (Legrand Latour), Marie Louise Raumland (Sekthaus Raumland) and Roc Gramona (Gramona). 

It was the finishing touch to a meeting full of good vibrations that will return to the Basque Country in the summer of 2025.