The 2nd edition of ‘Strengthening the wine value chain. Deep transformations in the wine sector’ has had a very successful outcome, with the participation of more than 200 companies and industries and companies in the wine sector, at the Palacio de Congresos y Auditorio de La Rioja on 30 May.
The president of the Association of the Auxiliary Wine Industry and CEO of Tonelería Murúa, Elena Ceca, inaugurated the II Forum, accompanied by the general manager of Grupo Rioja, Íñigo Torres and the regional minister of Economy, Innovation, Enterprise and Self-Employment of the Government of La Rioja, Belinda León.
Ceca insisted, during the inauguration, on the importance of generating spaces for debate and meetings between all the companies that work for and with wine. A conference that is especially relevant due to the moment of transformation that the sector is going through. Only through innovation and strategic work will the sector emerge stronger. This change is motivated by several factors such as changes in consumer preferences, important technological advances, climate change, innovation in packaging, or government regulations and policies of great impact.
The secretary general of the Association and the Agri-Food Associations of the FER, Sheila Argáiz, was in charge of conducting this event.
A further step forward
This second edition of ‘Strengthening the wine value chain’ has taken another step forward compared to last year’s edition. Progress has been made both in terms of the high level of participation and the interesting topics addressed.
On 30 May, the event brought together wineries, industries, experts and professionals from the wine value chain to discuss trends in the world of wine, promote knowledge exchange, collaboration and innovation, and encourage adaptation to the changing demands of consumers worldwide.
A full programme
The inauguration was followed by a keynote speech by Pedro Ballesteros, Master of Wine, who explained “the transformations in the wine sector worldwide and consumer trends”. Ballesteros said that it is “very positive that the wineries listen to what the auxiliary sector can contribute and what their needs are”.
Afterwards, the speaker, María Laura Ortiz Chiavetta, dealt with “the marketing of wines in the world”. Finally, Francesc Font, from The Regen Academy, spoke about “Soil for vineyards. 10 years applying regenerative agriculture, experience and results”.
The programme included two round tables. The first was on innovations in the wine auxiliary industry linked to the challenge of sustainability and reduction of the carbon footprint of wineries, with the participation of Miguel de Valenzuela, commercial delegate of Bondalti Water AEMA, Rodrigo Bermejo, managing director of Gon-Cruz, David Blanco, director of Inoxidables Alimentarias, Sergio Mamolar, technical director of Intranox, Roberto Riaño, commercial director of the Wine Division of Marzola and Alfonso Álvarez, partner of QE2 Ingeniería. This round table was moderated by Carlos García, founder and technical director of CGB Consultores.
The second round table addressed the innovations proposed by this industrial sector to support wineries in terms of traceability and the challenge of digitalisation, with the participation of José Sáenz de Santamaría Pombo, general manager of Rivercap, Elena Ceca, Ana Otero, director of Dolmar Tentamus, Diego Pascual, corporate director of Innovation at Ramondín, Javier Gurría, from JIG and Carlos Tarragona, CEO of SpectralGeo. The round table was moderated by Diego Castillo, managing partner of Etilisa.
The II Forum was completed with a tasting of international wines from Valdemar, Kenwood and Torres, led by the Master of Wine, Pedro Ballesteros. There were also previously scheduled bilateral meetings and visits to companies belonging to the Association of the Auxiliary Wine Industry.
This conference has been organised by the Association of the Auxiliary Wine Industry, with the sponsorship of the Government of La Rioja, through the ADER, and the support of CaixaBank.
Association of the Auxiliary Wine Industry
The Association of the Auxiliary Wine Industry, part of the FER, was created with the challenge of becoming a business benchmark with its own identity and promoting a Rioja quality seal to ensure the competitiveness of our companies.
The business organisation has 29 associated companies, employing 1,170 workers and a turnover of around 215 million euros.
The Association wants all the links in the value chain of the auxiliary wine sector to be represented: manufacturers of capsules, cooperage, tanks, machinery and equipment, containers and packaging, labelling, chemical industry applied to wine, software and digitalisation, water management and environmental services applied to wine, among other activities, and will look after the interests of its members, representing and promoting their companies, with the aim of seeking excellence in the sector.