III WINE & CULINARY INTERNATIONAL FORUM

“We celebrate the pairing of food and wine – always in moderation – a cultural heritage that belongs to us all.”

Miguel A. Torres

[[{"fid":"8347","view_mode":"default","type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":754,"width":1131,"class":"media-element file-default"}}]]Opening address by Miguel A. Torres, President of Bodegas Torres

The theme “wine and world cuisines” guided the third edition of the Wine & Culinary International Forum for professionals in the food and wine world held at the Palacio de Congresos in Barcelona.

Wine & Culinary is more than a meeting; it is a celebration, a platform for debate and reflection, a dialogue between plate and glass, kitchen and front of house, food and wine.

The event's latest edition drew over 250 professionals from around the world representing 19 different nationalities. The industry displayed strength and savvy at a meeting of big names who had a lot to share and learn from each other.

In his role as host, Miguel A. Torres, president of Bodegas Torres, welcomed participants to the forum. He reasserted his unwavering support for pairing wine – always in moderation – and gastronomy, emphasizing the winery's commitment to the continued production of high-quality wines that embrace the world’s great cuisines.

Presented by Federico Oldenbrug, the talks offered many different perspectives on the subject at hand. At the Palacio de Congresos, enologists, winegrowers, doctors, chefs, sommeliers and wine writers took turns at the podium to offer an astonishing stream of knowledge that demanded the audience's full attention.

[[{"fid":"8348","view_mode":"default","type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":668,"width":1001,"class":"media-element file-default"}}]]Josep Roca (El Celler de Can Roca - 2 Michelin*) during his talk

Among them were key industry communicators like Sarah Jane Evans, Tim Atkin, Michel Bettane, Víctor de la Serna, Amaya Cervera, Luciana Bianchi and Jorge G. Balsera; leading sommeliers like Josep Roca, François Chartier, Jon Arvid Rosengren (world's best sommelier 2016), Josep M. Pelegrín, Anna Busquets, Tamae Imachi, Julie Dupuoy and Markus del Monego (double Master of Wine); renowned enologists like Pascal Chatonnet from France, chefs like Jungsik Yim, Fina Puigdevall, Helena Rizzo, Albert Raurich and Ramón Morató, as well as Dr. Francisco Tinahones. In taking the pulse of wine and food pairing, they put particular emphasis on the following conclusions:

  • The cultural identity of a region and a country is shaped by its gastronomic reality and its wines.

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Jungsik Yim, chef South Korea/New York (2 Michelin*) during his show cooking

  • Likewise, cuisine can transform a multicultural legacy into a unique individual identity, which is more open, curious and willing to experiment.

[[{"fid":"8350","view_mode":"default","type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":716,"width":1074,"class":"media-element file-default"}}]]Show cooking with Fina Puigdevall, chef at Les Cols, and sommeliers J.M.Pelegrín and Anna Busquets

  • Regional cuisines across different continents have found a global ally in wine. Fusion is no longer limited to what is on the plate. Wine offers a world of incomparable creative nuances.

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Helena Rizzo, chef (Mani, Brazil, 1 Michelin*) during her show cooking

  • Wine and food are two dynamic forces, two unifying elements which are global in nature. Food and wine represent the finest intercultural ambassadors.

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Albert Raurich, chef (Dos palillos, Dos pebrots, Japan) during his show cooking

Like the two previous editions, Wine & Culinary 2016 has opened an unspoken, yet definitive dialogue that brings cultures and countries closer together. And, most importantly, this dialogue fosters a way of understanding and living life that can be understood by everyone.