Alicante becomes the capital of Mediterranean wine

16 Jul 2025 Alicante becomes the capital of Mediterranean wine

From October 29th to 31st, 2025, Alicante will become the epicenter of Mediterranean culture, thanks to the Congress “Alicante, Historic Capital of Wine in the Mediterranean.” This conference, centered on the sea, will delve into the culture, history, and wines that flow around the Mare Nostrum.

For three days, the city will bring together specialists from various latitudes of the Mediterranean to share the past, present, and future of Mediterranean wine, from the diverse perspectives of countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Egypt, Greece, and Italy, as well as Germany, France, and Portugal, all of which have cities considered international wine capitals and with which Alicante shares archaeological and winemaking heritage.

A comprehensive program of presentations and activities, born from the synergy of the Alicante Provincial Council (Diputación de Alicante), through its Department of Culture, the Alicante Archaeological Museum, MARQ, and the Vinos Alicante PDO (DOP), in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana), Alicante City Council, Casa Mediterráneo, the Cathedral Chapter, and the C.V. MARQ Foundation, was presented this morning at the Alicante Provincial Council.

The official presentation of the Congress was led by the Deputy for Culture, Juan de Dios Navarro; the Director of MARQ, Manuel Olcina; and the Alicante Councilor for Tourism, Ana Poquet. All of them agreed in highlighting the “enormous wealth that the province brings together in its wine tradition, with testimonies dating back to 3,000 BC and with milestones of great importance.”

These conferences aim to position this history alongside that of other key European locations with enormous potential for cultural, historical, and tourism promotion related to wine. “Alicante can boast this history, especially after the research carried out around the date of 1510, as the oldest Designation of Origin in the world,” Navarro emphasized.

The presentations can be attended both in person, in the MARQ Auditorium, and online, with all presentations being registered for viewing.

The city of Alicante will also participate in the congress with a series of parallel activities that “will help reposition the city in relation to these great wine capitals,” as Alicante’s Councilor for Tourism, Ana Poquet, indicated. Three unique tastings have been organized, led by different figures from the wine world, in distinctive spaces in the city.

Sarah Jane Evans, one of the most representative leaders of the Master of Wine Academy in England, will “taste history” at Santa Bárbara Castle; At Casa Mediterráneo, Beth Willard (from Tim Atkin’s English tasting team) and María José Huertas, one of Spain’s top sommeliers (Paco Roncero), will taste the most up-to-date versions of these Mediterranean wines; and Ferran Centelles (summallor at El Bulli, wine taster for Jancis Robinson of England, and author of Bullipedia) and Spanish Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros will delve into the mystery of the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás with the tasting “In Fondillón Veritas.”

These activities must be booked online and have limited capacity. Registration will open in September.

Congress information, including attendance and speaker registration, is now available here.