ACEVIN concludes its rotating presidency of the European Network of Wine Cities (RECEVIN). Città del Vino (Italy) assumes leadership of this European network. Cariñena concludes its year as European City of Wine and passes the distinction on to the Baixo Alentejo region (Portugal).
The Spanish Association of Wine Cities (ACEVIN) concluded its mandate as president of the European Network of Wine Cities (RECEVIN), after four years at the head of the organization.
According to the statutes of this entity the presidency is rotating. RECEVIN is formed by national associations of wine municipalities from Italy, Spain, France and Portugal, along with cities from other European countries.
The Extraordinary General Assembly of RECEVIN took place on January 29th in Cariñena, where the Board of Directors approved the transfer of the presidency to Italy and to the Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino, presided over by Angelo Radica, who assumes the presidency of RECEVIN.
The period of the Spanish presidency, led by Rosa Melchor, president of ACEVIN, was fruitful and encouraging for the European wine tourism sector.
During this period, in which a woman led ACEVIN for the first time, the network was expanded with the addition of France: “We achieved one of our main objectives, which was to have the broadest possible representation of the different European territories linked to viticulture and wine tourism; and, obviously, France had to be present,” stated Rosa Melchor.
Furthermore, thanks to continuous institutional collaboration, relations with European authorities were strengthened to boost the wine tourism sector, an area that is gaining increasing importance and relevance as a complement to viticulture itself.
New European City of Wine
During the ACEVIN presidency, Spain hosted the European City of Wine, an initiative launched by RECEVIN, also on a rotating basis, in which, for one year, a city in the network becomes the epicenter of European wine tourism.
Cariñena (Zaragoza) was chosen as the European City of Wine 2025. Thus, during this year, an intense cultural program was developed through a comprehensive initiative that included leisure, research, education, and science activities. “Many of these activities will continue in the future as well,” highlighted Sergio Ortiz, Mayor of Cariñena.
Cariñena was precisely the city where this RECEVIN Assembly took place, where the new Board of Directors was elected, taking advantage of the closing ceremony as the European City of Wine 2025. A closing ceremony that brought together more than a thousand people for a collective toast with Garnacha wine, the grape variety that identifies this territory, and which ended with a modern musical and audiovisual show in the city’s Plaza de España, where the City Hall and the famous Fuente de la Mora are located.
During the gala dinner at the Tierra de Cubas winery, Cariñena officially transferred the title of European City of Wine to the new territory selected by RECEVIN, which corresponds to the Lower Alentejo (Portugal).
