Drink Ribera. Drink Spain. Launches National Ribera Road Tour with Grand Tasting in New York

NEW YORK, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Drink Ribera. Drink Spain. hosted more than 125 wineries from the prestigious Ribera del Duero region of Spain at its first ever Grand Tasting in New York City on February 23, 2010. Featuring the largest selection of Ribera del Duero wines ever assembled in the U.S., over 700 industry professionals and guests gathered at the Puck Building in lower Manhattan to sample an array of the region’s most celebrated wines – from the young ‘Joven’ wines to outstanding ‘Gran Reservas.’

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/drinkribera/42784/

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100310/MM65844 )

The event began with an exclusive seminar for media hosted by Pablo Alvarez of Vega Sicilia, an icon winery from Ribera del Duero, Drink Ribera. Drink Spain. Brand Ambassador, April Cullom, and Jose Trillo, President of the Consejo Regulador of Ribera del Duero. The seminar included a tasting of Alion 2006, Alion 2000, Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2005, Vega Sicilia Valbuena 1998, Vega Sicilia Unico 2002 and Vega Sicilia Unico 1991.

Doors opened from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. for a walk-around Grand Tasting where members of the trade and media sampled the current releases of Ribera del Duero wines – along with Ribera del Duero wines seeking importers in the U. S. – all presented by Ribera del Duero winemakers and qualified representatives from Spain. Consumer admission opened from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. for a sold-out crowd.

Commenting on the high turnout for the event Jose Trillo shared, “The timing is ideal for us to launch a major campaign to present the wines of Ribera del Duero in the U.S. market. There is definitely a high level of interest and enthusiasm for Ribera del Duero wines; our trade partners are telling us that the style, variety and quality of our wines have tremendous appeal with today’s wine consumers.  We look forward to continuing the momentum of our New York Grand Tasting with the launch of the 2010 Ribera Road Tour in other markets.”

To view a video wrap-up of the February 23 Grand Tasting visit www.drinkriberawine.com/GrandTastingvideo.

The Grand Tasting is the first event of the Ribera Road Tour, a national trade and consumer sampling and workshop program focusing on four markets: New York, Chicago, Florida and San Francisco. In the next few months, Ribera del Duero wine experts will oversee more than 400 consumer tastings in top retail stores, and present a targeted program of trade and press workshops designed to educate and inform wine professionals about Ribera del Duero’s unique contribution to winemaking.

The Ribera Road Tour will lead into Fine Wine 2010, Ribera del Duero’s third international congress, a global summit for wine industry leaders being held in Aranda de Duero, Spain, April 28-30, 2010. For information and registration details please visit www.drinkriberawine.com/finewine2010.

About Drink Ribera. Drink Spain.

Ribera del Duero provides a benchmark for quality in the Spanish wine category. With an extreme climate perfectly suited for quality grape-growing, Ribera del Duero wines represent the pinnacle of Spanish winemaking and the ultimate expression of Spain’s most noble red grape: Tempranillo. The region became a Denominacion de Origen (D.O.) in 1982, and today there are more than 250 wineries, producing world class wines. In 2009, Ribera del Duero launched their first U.S. promotional campaign – Drink Ribera. Drink Spain. – with branding and communications agency Gregory White PR to broaden awareness among trade, media and consumers. For more information visit www.drinkriberawine.com or e-mail [email protected].

SOURCE Drink Ribera. Drink Spain.