Ourense Vinis Terrae, the Galician Quality Wine and Spirits Fair, opened its eleventh edition this morning at Expourense, already consolidating its position as a tool for internationalization at the service of Galician wineries. This year's 47 exhibitors, including both large winery groups and small producers or "colleiteiros," are attending this event to expand and diversify their international markets so as not to rely on a single country in the face of possible changes in tariff policies.
Until tomorrow at 6:00 PM, this fair brings the 47 exhibitors into direct contact with around fifty buyers and importers from 18 countries. This is an exclusively professional, Galician, and quality event, in which each winery will hold a minimum of 20 meetings with invited importers, complemented by those with professional visitors attending the fair. With 47 exhibiting wineries and 47 invited buyers, the buyer-to-winery ratio is much higher than at other professional wine fairs.
“This fair clearly contributes to the internationalization of Galician wine, which is also a strategic and highly important production sector in the province of Ourense, encompassing four of the five Galician winemaking Denominations of Origin and the IXP Val do Miño. Over these two days, Galicia will showcase its unique varietal heritage to professionals from 18 countries. This authenticity we have championed since the beginning of Ourense Vinis Terrae and which we hope will increase its international presence after this event,” explained Rogelio Martínez, managing director of Expourense, during the official opening of the fair, which was presided over by Martín Alemparte, director of the Galician Food Quality Agency (AGACAL), in a ceremony held in Galicia.
During his speech, the director of AGACAL highlighted the importance of the Galician wine sector, which allows our community to "develop our territory through wine, as it is a differentiating element of our identity as Galicians. The varietals of our community are unique." AGACAL is also collaborating with this event by setting up the Galician Wine Tunnel, which showcases more than 100 wines from the wines exhibited. The goal is for professionals to learn about the different wines on display, and thus, give buyers the opportunity to discover a greater number of wines, in addition to those they are already familiarizing themselves with through their event calendar.
This show brings the 47 exhibitors into direct contact with importers from 18 countries (Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Spain, the United States, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). The show has a high loyalty rate, with 75% of wineries returning to the event and 25% attending for the first time.
The visiting importers highlighted the intimate and personalized nature of Ourense Vinis Terrae, where they have the opportunity to meet the winemaker in person and taste unique signature wines that are difficult to find elsewhere given the limited export capacity of small wineries.
For their part, the exhibitors emphasized the role of this event in diversifying their international markets. Cristina Domínguez, head of the Export Department of the Granbazán Group, explained that, although her company already exports nearly 60% of its production, this event helps diversify and find importers in other countries so that the company's exports do not depend solely on one large importing country.
She indicated that recent changes in tariff policies in the United States are causing wineries to seek other options. He comments that in his company's case, they haven't noticed anything yet, since "the reputation and quality of our brand's wine currently outweighs the price increase, and consumers who know and appreciate it are consuming that cost. But we don't know how long this situation will continue."
The 4th Ourense Vinis Terrae Extraordinary Tasting took place throughout this first day. Wines from the 47 wineries exhibiting at the fair will be tasted by expert oenologists, sommeliers, and wine tasters from around Spain. The awards ceremony will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m. during the closing ceremony, which will be presided over by María José Gómez, Regional Minister for Rural Environment of the Galician Regional Government.
Organized by Expourense, Ourense Vinis Terrae 2025 has the fundamental support of the Galician Regional Government through the Agrifood Quality Agency (AGACAL), attached to the Regional Ministry of Rural Environment, and the Ourense Provincial Council.
