Spain's wine export promotion shifts focus

In a major change of focus, ICEX, the official export promotion agency of Spain, has decided to move away from promoting various wine-producing regions (Denominaciones de Origen) of Spain to concentrate on a limited number of brands. When the program started in 1981, only three regions were promoted. Now ICEX has promotion activities on behalf of 15 out of the more than 60 D.O.'s in Spain.

According to an article published in El País newspaper on February 20, the ICEX Wines from Spain wine export promotion campaign will use three criteria for selecting the brands to be promoted: that the winery have export capacity and existing connections in the leading export markets, that the wine be recognized by critics for its superior quality, and that the winery has shown itself to be consistently dedicated to exporting. In other words, Wines from Spain will be working on behalf of those wines that already have a presence in export markets.

It might be that this is the best way to get the most mileage from export promotion in a crowded market, but it strikes me as backing only the strongest horses, to the exclusion of helping all interested wineries in trying to carve out a niche in export markets. For example, Cava, Spain's traditional method sparkling wine suffers from a lack of knowledge about how it is similar to Champagne (it is made in exactly the same way) to how it differs (the use of local grape varieties, plus Chardonnay, produces a "softer" mouthfeel that can be more enjoyable). A promotional focus that includes general education and promotion plus brands would go further in highlighting the benefits of Spanish wines in export markets.