- Miguel Ángel Valverde, President of Ciudad Real Provincial Council, described the first edition as “useful and productive” and called for institutional support in line with the importance of a sector that represents 11% of the province’s GDP.
Ciudad Real, June 8, 2026. Miguel Ángel Valverde, President of Ciudad Real Provincial Council and President of FENAVIN, today presented the results of the first edition of FENAVIN Match. He said the new format “worked well” and proved to be “useful and productive” for Spanish wine, reinforcing FENAVIN’s leadership as the sector’s main business platform at a time of growing competition among national and international trade fairs.
The balance combines quantitative and qualitative results from a first edition created to complement the biennial FENAVIN fair. Its purpose is clear: to keep the FENAVIN brand active in even-numbered years with a format built specifically around business.
According to Valverde, the figures confirm the success of the model. FENAVIN Match brought together 350 wineries: 24.4% from Ciudad Real, 21.4% from the rest of Castilla-La Mancha and 54.2% from other Spanish regions. That mix, he said, once again turns FENAVIN into a showcase for Spanish wine as a whole.
The event occupied 11,617 square meters across pavilions and common areas and issued 2,215 professional and institutional accreditations.
Buyers were central to the format. A total of 454 attended: 259 international and 195 national. Among international buyers, 185 were recruited directly by the organization and 74 attended independently. On the national side, 126 buyers were brought in through the fair and 69 joined on their own initiative.
For Valverde, the strongest indicator was the level of business activity. Before the fair opened, 2,061 scheduled meetings had already been registered, far above initial expectations.
A further 683 meetings were added during the event, including 78 arranged through the new direct contact tool linked to the Wine Gallery and the instant messaging system.
In total, FENAVIN Match generated 2,744 registered business contacts. Valverde said this confirms that the new format remains true to FENAVIN’s original mission: creating business opportunities and building commercial relationships for Spanish wine.
The international reach was also significant. Foreign buyers represented 215 companies from 49 countries.
Valverde highlighted the growing interest from Latin American markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica. While not major wine-producing markets, he noted, these countries are showing growing demand for Spanish wine.
He also pointed to the strong presence of Italian buyers, a trend seen in previous editions of FENAVIN. For Valverde, this reinforces the fair’s reputation as an innovative event.
“FENAVIN has always been a creative and innovative fair, and many of the formulas we develop are later replicated at other international events,” he said.
He also mentioned new interest from African markets, especially Morocco and Nigeria, where buyers are showing growing attention to alcohol-free wines and new categories aimed at emerging consumers.
The Wine Gallery once again proved to be an essential working tool for professionals. Covering 1,806 square meters, it featured 640 wine references and offered a clear snapshot of current market trends.
Red wines led the selection (46.71%), followed by white wines (32.96%), sparkling wines and cavas (6.11%), rosés (5.63%) and non-alcoholic wines (2.03%). The gallery also included orange wines, vermouths, aromatized wines and sangrias.
For Valverde, this diversity reflects a market in transformation, with products designed to connect with new consumer profiles, especially younger audiences.
96% of exhibitors would take part in FENAVIN Match again
Survey results also confirm the positive response from participants. 93% of exhibitors were satisfied or very satisfied with registration and pre-event information, 85% with the Wine Gallery and 97% with on-site assistance and the digital platform.
The most relevant figure, Valverde said, was business potential. 98% of exhibitors were satisfied or very satisfied with the commercial opportunities generated, and 56% were very satisfied.
In addition, 96% confirmed they would participate in future editions of FENAVIN Match.
Valverde acknowledged that the economic value generated cannot yet be measured, as commercial agreements take months to materialize. Even so, he said the level of satisfaction is already the clearest indicator of success. Given the strength of the survey results, he added, FENAVIN Match is here to stay.
Valverde also stressed that FENAVIN Match has shown Ciudad Real Provincial Council’s ability to defend and project internationally the region’s leading wine-related economic event. However, he warned that this effort cannot fall solely on the provincial institution.
He regretted that the event had been carried forward almost single-handedly, with the Chamber of Commerce as its only regular institutional partner, and called for stronger involvement from other public administrations.
A fair that supports a sector representing around 11% of Ciudad Real’s GDP, he said, deserves institutional backing that matches its strategic importance.
The President of the Provincial Council compared this situation with other major sector events supported by regional governments. Protecting FENAVIN, he argued, means protecting a key tool for the competitiveness of Spanish wine, Castilla-La Mancha and Ciudad Real.
Maintaining leadership, driving innovation and strengthening loyalty across the sector
Valverde noted that new fair concepts are now trying to position themselves on the national calendar. FENAVIN Match was created precisely as a response to that context: a way to strengthen the link between wineries, buyers and wine-producing regions while keeping Ciudad Real at the center of international wine business.
He confirmed that the format will continue and is intended to return in the years when FENAVIN itself is not held. The aim is to maintain leadership, drive innovation and build long-term loyalty across the sector.
At the same time, Valverde made clear that FENAVIN Match will not replace the traditional FENAVIN model. It will act as a complement.
“FENAVIN Match is the perfect gateway to FENAVIN,” he said, noting that Spain’s National Wine Fair will retain its exhibition-based and international character while continuing to introduce improvements that allow it to grow and lead Spanish wine business. Valverde appeared alongside María Jesús Pelayo, First Vice President of the Provincial Council; Sonia González, Second Vice President and Institutional Coordinator of FENAVIN; and Manuel Juliá, Technical Director of the fair.
