The gastronomic showcase demonstrated that, in the world of wine and food, borders have ceased to exist

Renowned names in gastronomy participated in the second edition of the Wine & Culinary International Forum, a biennial international congress on the pairing of wine and food, in Barcelona this past Sunday. Guided by the theme Creatividad y Mercado (Creativity and the Market), leading Spanish and international sommeliers, chefs and food and wine writers debated and closely examined the complementary nature of wine and food through workshops, show-cooking sessions and conferences, as well as analyzing successful examples from some of the world's most important international wine markets.

More than 250 industry experts from every corner of the globe took part in this fascinating forum during which participants sampled over 3000 food tastings and over 8500 glasses of wine from around the world.

The event, sponsored by the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea and Bodegas Torres, was held at the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona and aimed at a professional audience.  The invaluable support and knowledge of the forum's Advisory Council – headed by Víctor de la Serna and made up of François Chartier, Nick Lander and Josep Roca – and the coordination provided by Montse Alonso and Juan Manuel Bellver were essential to developing the conference program. The event was part of 2014 – International Year of the Mediterranean Diet (www.2014dietamediterranea.com).