The 8th IWINETC was recently held in Cataluña, near Barcelona. I was delighted to be invited to attend, as a staff member!
My role was to be threefold – Moderator of the Panel Discussion on basic Dos & Don’ts of Wine Tourism; Tour Guide; General Dogsbody! Although quite physically demanding, I relished all three.
The International Wine Tourism Conference, which is a unique opportunity for all those involved in wine tourism to meet, network and plan further development, is the brainchild of much travelled Anthony Swift, who now resides in the hills above Villafranca del Penedés. Anthony is also responsible for the lauded ’50 Great Cavas’ competition, which, after a good deal of tasting and visiting, translates into an impressive, beautifully designed and finished publication, which readers may like to buy (www.winepleasures.com), perhaps for a surprise Christmas present this year – though stocks are limited!
There were two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, of fascinating talks by speakers from countries of origin as diverse as: Indonesia, India, China, USA, Australia, Hungary, Moldova, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Montenegro to name several, though by no means all! Delegates from varied walks of life, all related to Wine Tourism, of course, began arriving on Sunday, with a large influx on Monday. This was to be my first day of action!
