These were some of the issues addressed at the Wine-Growing Conference of Agro-food Cooperatives of Spain, held in the town of Cariñena, Zaragoza, with the collaboration of Agro-food Cooperatives of Aragon and sponsorship from Santander Agro. The event also provided an opportunity to analyze the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The meeting was held after an especially early harvest caused by successive heatwaves, which reduced vineyard yields despite the excellent quality of the grapes. The organization estimates national wine and must production at around 34 million hectoliters for the 2026/27 campaign, which would mark four consecutive campaigns below 37 million hectoliters. This is compounded by falling domestic consumption, down 8.3% year on year through August 2026, while exports fell 9.4% in volume during the previous campaign.
WINE TOURISM AND ALCOHOL-FREE WINES OPEN UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES
The president of the Wine-Growing Sector Council of Agro-food Cooperatives of Spain and of the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE), Fernando Ezquerro, highlighted the nearly 100 million international tourists Spain receives each year. Many are unaware that they are visiting one of the world’s leading wine-producing countries, prompting him to call for “strengthening the connection between wine and Spain’s tourism and gastronomy offering, bringing wine-growing culture closer to visitors and ensuring that those who discover our wines during their stay in Spain can become consumers and advocates when they return to their home countries.”
Ezquerro also stressed the need to attract younger generations: “We have to win over young people and show them that behind every vineyard there is much more than a perfect landscape for Instagram. We have a story to tell: history, tradition, culture and a way of life worth discovering.” In this regard, he defended wine tourism as a tool for bringing wine culture closer to young people. The opening session also featured Luciano Viguín, head of Business and SMEs at Banco Santander in Aragon, who conveyed the bank’s support for Spain’s agricultural sector and the wine-growing campaign.
Diversification was another central topic. During the session “New wines, new opportunities: complementing the wine market,” Alberto Arellano, director of Destilerías San Valero; Silvia Cedeño, general manager of BevZero in Spain; and Noelia Oliver, BevZero’s sales director, analyzed the “San Valero 0.0” project, moderated by Juan Fuente, director of the Nuestra Señora de Manjavacas Cooperative in Castilla-La Mancha. De-alcoholized wine seeks to complement traditional wine and reach new consumers and consumption occasions. Spending on low-alcohol wines rose 35.2% and volume consumption increased 27.4% over the past year, with alcohol-free products already among the few wine categories growing in supermarkets. Meanwhile, Carmen Gracia, manager of the Campo de Cariñena Wine Route, addressed the potential of wine-, heritage- and gastronomy-related tourism to boost the rural economy.
THE FUTURE CAP AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS AMONG THE SECTOR’S CHALLENGES
The future of the Common Agricultural Policy took center stage at the conference, particularly amid negotiations on the next European budgetary framework. Alejandro Lorca, deputy director general for Fruit and Vegetables and Wine-Growing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, analyzed the outlook for the future CAP and its support instruments. For cooperatives, these measures are essential to maintaining wine-growing activity, facilitating investment and improving wineries’ competitiveness.
Internationalization also featured prominently at the meeting. Susana García, director of the OIVE, presented international market trends and opportunities for marketing Spanish wines. In addition, Joan Josep Raventós, wine and cava spokesperson for the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia, and Jordi Amell, CEO of Castell d'Or, shared the experience of this cooperative project, based on diversification, internationalization and adding value to its products to address the challenges facing cava.
Agro-food Cooperatives of Spain brings together 398 cooperative wineries representing approximately 70% of national wine production, playing an important role in employment, agricultural activity and retaining population in wine-growing regions. The conference in Cariñena concluded with remarks from Fernando Ezquerro; Antonio Serrano, president of Bodega San Valero and the Cariñena Designation of Origin; and José Víctor Nogués, president of Agro-food Cooperatives of Aragon. The latter defended the sector’s importance in Aragon and the need to achieve greater scale and competitiveness through alliances while maintaining a commitment to the region.
