WINE CREATORS REUNITE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN SPAIN. THE MOST IMPORTANT ENOLOGISTS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE WILL MEET AT WINECREATOR, SYMPOSIUM TO DISCUSS THE STATE OF WINE IN THE WORLD. ITALY WILL BE REPRESENTED BY COTARELLA, FERRINI, AND GENTILI

“WineCreator” is the first international symposium (to be held in Ronda, Spain, April 18 - 19) to host the 12 most influential enologists in the world and who will be revealing the secrets of their own wines at this meeting that will also include the wine world’s top critics and journalists. It is a meeting organized with the intentions of a decidedly “face to face” confrontation on, production techniques and styles, concepts of terroir, and consumer relations.
The goal of this event (info: www.winecreator.net) is to discuss the future of wine, starting with the effects of globalization, which have, on the one hand, standardized wine choices and tastes and, on the other hand, created an increasing demand for originality in wine and to defend the uniqueness of different territories, like the difficulties of coexistence between the large wine industry and small producers.
Italy will be well represented by enologists Riccardo Cotarella and Carlo Ferrini, and wine critic, Ernesto Gentili. The organizers of this novel event are La Melonera and the Grupo Peñín.
Melonera is a winemaking company located in Ronda (Spain), which bases its production philosophy on growing grapes in the Mediterranean tradition and with deep territorial attachment.
The Spanish Grupo Peñín is a communications company specializing in the wine industry and structured around six areas: Peñín Guide, Communication Agency, Peñín Ediciones publishing house, Sibaritas magazine, Wine Tasting School and Export Consulting.
And the organizing committee panel is also top rank. It includes Jancis Robinson, Honorary President, José Peñín, project coordinator, Víctor de la Serna, and Michel Bettane.
The Who’s Who of Attending “Wine Creators”
Riccardo Cotarella (Italy) –
Cotarella is one of Italy’s top enologists, capable of capturing the different peculiarities of Italy’s most important terroir. He is consultant for over 50 wineries ranging from Coppo in the Piedmont region, to San Patrignana in Emilia Romagna; the Tuscans Castello Banfi and Castello di Volpaia; Conte Leopardi Dittajuti and Terre Cortesi Moncaro from the Marche; Umbrian Terre della Custodia, Sportoletti, La Fiorita, Lamborghini; Falesco and Poggio Le Volpi; Villa Medoro in Abbruzzo; Di Majo Norante in the Molise; Galardi, Montevetrano, Feudi di San Gregorio, Villa Matilde in Campania; L’Astore, Rubino, Tenuta Coppadoro in Puglia; Santa Venere and Fattorie Greco in Calabria, and the Sicilians Morgante and Abbazia Santa Anastasia. Not to mention, he is also a consultant in France for Château Rollan de By, Château La Clare, Château Tour Seran and Château de Frausseilles e Gaillac Toulouse.
Carlo Ferrini (Italy) –
After earning his degree in agriculture in 1978, Ferrini began his work with the Chianti Classico Consortium, where he would remain for over ten years, making important contributions to the guidelines for “Chianti Classico 2000”, the project that took on the task of discovering the secrets of the Tuscan varietal par excellence: Sangiovese. In 1992, Ferrini began his consulting career which would send him on his way to becoming one of the most esteemed enologists in Italy and the world. In 2000, he was voted “Enologist of the Year” by Gambero Rosso/Slow Food and in 2003 he received the same recognition from the prestigious Italian Sommelier Association (AIS). Today, he is consultant to the most important wineries in Italy: from the Tuscan Barone Ricasoli, Brancaia, Castello di Fonterutoli, Fattoria Le Corti, Fattoria Nittardi, Poggio Bonelli (Gruppo Mps), Fattoria di Petrolo, Poggio Verrano, Castello del Terriccio, Sapaio, Poliziano, Talenti, Castello Romitorio, Casanova di Neri, to Abruzzo’s Valle Reale, Sicilian Tasca d’Almerita and Donnafugata, and the Trentino region’s San Leonardo dei Marchesi Guerrieri Gonzaga.
Michel Rolland (France) –
Rolland is probably one of the most influential enologists for Bordelaise wines, not only for the number of clients he has, but also because of his stylistic approach to production. Besides his many French clients, he also does consulting all over the globe and, for this reason, has become the model of the “flying winemaker”. In Italy, he is consultant for the Biserno Estate of Lodovico Antinori, and the Ornellaia and Tolaini Estates.
Denis Dubourdieu (France) –
Enologist and professor of enology at the University of Bordeaux since 1987, Dubourdieu is considered one of the most important wine experts in the world. He is also a wine consultant for French winemakers like top rank Château Cheval Blanc and, in Italy, for Mastroberardino, Saiagricola, and Lungarotti.
Jean-Claude Berrouet (France) –
Enologist at Château Petrus since 1963, Berrouet withdrew from work activities after the 2007 harvest. Creator of one of the most popular wines in the world for over 40 years, he has always based his productive philosophy on the conviction that a wine can express its territory only with elegance and delicacy.
Stéphane Derenoncourt (France) –
Derenoncourt began his career in 1982 but made news in 1985 with his experimental new techniques for growing grapes and making wine at Château Fronsac. His list of consultations would grow from there to include Clos Fourtet, Canon-Le Gaffeliére, Clos de L’Oratoire e Pavie-Macquin, Château Mondotte, as well as Spanish and Italian (Tenuta Argentiera in Bolgheri) wineries.
Olivier Humbrecht (France) –
Enologist and owner of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, he was the first Master of Wine in France. Today, he is an adamant supporter of biodynamic methods and his wines have great personality.
Paul Draper (United States) –
Draper is the head of Ridge Vineyards, one of the legendary winemakers of California. He was a pioneer of the New World style Cabernet and a great defender of Zinfandel. After 32 harvests and over 750 wines on the market, Draper is still one of the most influential men in the California winemaking industry.
Peter Sisseck (Spain) –
Sisseck is the creator of Pingus, the classical example of “garage wine”, which set a new example for wines from Ribera del Duero. Born in 1962 to a family that sold wine in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, he graduated from the University of Bordeaux, and moved on to become an agronomist and enologist. Sisseck’s career in Spain would begin in early the 90’s at the Hacienda Monasterio, where he worked as an enologist. In 1995, he began his own production at Quintanilla de Onésimo (Valladolid), and created the Dominio de Pingus practically out of nothing, initially basing his viticultural practices on organic principles and then moving to biodynamic.
Dirk Van Der Niepoort (Portugal) –
Working with the family business, Niepoort has created one of the best Ports in the world (as well as the production of excellent dry wines). He is a technician of great talent in uniting tradition with innovation. He knows how to give character to his great wines by starting with advanced production techniques.
Álvaro Palacios (Spain) –
Palacios is the owner of the winery of the same name. His wines are a true rarity and are obtained by combining traditional varieties like Garnacha (Grenache) with varietals like Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, for a result that is considered some of the best products from Priorato.
Ales Kristancic (Slovenia) –
Kristancic is one of the most important enologists in Slovenia. The family company, Movia, was the only private winery operating under the Tito regime. Today, Kristancic is a devoted follower of biodynamic winemaking methods and his wines possess great character.
The Critics of the “Wine Creators”
Ernesto Gentili (L’Espresso) –
Joint editor with Fabio Rizzari of the “Vini d’Italia” wine guide by the Espresso Group, Gentili has published some important contributions in the realm of Italian wine critics, in the foreign press as well, like La Revue du Vin de France, Decanter, and the Japanese magazine Wine Kingdom. He is also a member of the European Grand Jury and joint author with the same Rizza of the blog “Vino” (http://vino.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it).
Jancis Robinson (The Financial Times) –
Robinson is one of the most authoritative wine writers in the world and, as well her weekly column in the British Financial Times, she also writes regularly on her own web site www.jancisrobinson.com. Master of Wine and author of specialized publications like, for example, the World Atlas of Wine (created together with Hugh Johnson), Robinson is also supervisor for British Airways and the wine selection on the Concorde.
José Peñín (Guía Peñín) –
President of Grupo Peñín, he is the director of the wine magazine Sibaritas, and has founded the Peñín guide, which at its 8th edition has become a point of reference for Spanish wines.
Víctor de la Serna (El Mundo) –
Journalist and wine critic, del la Serna is director of international relations for El Mundo and has written for the authoritative Spanish wine magazine Sibaritas.
Michael Bettane -
For years now, Bettane (www.bettanedesseauve.com), together with Thierry Desseauve, has been the author of the prestigious Le Revue du Vins de France as well as the Classements des Meilleurs Vins en France. He continues to work together with Desseauve, as French wine critic from the pages of his own web site, and for Le Grad Guide des Vins de France.
Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar) –
Tanzer is one of the most important wine critics in the world and a member of the editorial staff of the magazine, International Wine Cellar.
Robert Joseph (Wine Business International) –
Joseph, of the most important names writing for the German magazine, Wine Business International, founded the Wine International Magazine with Michael Metcalfe and was correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph and Food & Wine Magazine. He is also co-author with Robert Parker, of the Good Wine Guide.
Joel B. Payne (Wine Business International) –
Payne is an important name at the German magazine Wine Business International, which has recently changed its name to Meininger’s Wine Business International. Wine Business International is now the top publication dedicated to wine business.
Bob Campbell –
Campbell is one of the few Masters of Wine from new Zealand, where he has founded a school with courses and seminars on wine. He collaborates with numerous magazines like Cuisine, The Independent and Wine Spectator.
Michael Fridjhon (Business Day) –
Fridjhon is a specialist on wines from South Africa but has also been able to affirm a solid reputation as critic in international competitions. As well as his weekly articles in Business Day, he also writes for The Weekender.
Peter Moser (Falstaff Magazin) –
Moser is the editor of the prestigious Austrian magazine, Falstaff, and a respected food critic as well.
Eleonora Scholes (Vinnaya Karta, Gastronom) –
Scholes is an editorial consultant for various Russian wine publications, among which, Vinnaya Karta, Magnum, Enoteka and Gastronom, as well as a collaborator with Wine Business International, Falstaff and Decanter.
Rodolfo Gerschman (Catadores) –
Gerschman writes for the Mexican magazines Gula and Catadores, the second being the top wine magazine in Mexico.
David Schildknecht (The Wine Advocate) –
After a 20 year career in sales, Schildknecht began telling the stories of Austrian and German wines on the pages of International Wine Cellar. Since 2007, he is part of The Wine Advocate team under Robert Parker, writing on French, German, and Austrian wines. He also collaborates regularly with Wine and Spirits (USA), Vinaria (Austria) and The Oxford Companion to Wine.
John Radford -
Freelance wine writer who writes primarily on Spain, Radford has wide experience in the wine and food industries and his website (www.johnradford.com) is highly popular with enthusiasts. He is a collaborator for Decanter, Oz Clarke guide, and the latest edition of the Larousse wine encyclopedia.
Pierre Casamayor (La Revue du vins de France) –
Casamayor is the head editor for the Hubert guide and, since 1987, of the magazine La Revue du Vin de France. He is also one of the head enologists of the French Enologists Union. Joshua Greene (Wine & Spirits) – Editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine since 1986, Greene is specialized in wines from Australia and California, Bordelaise, Bourgogne, Champagne, Northern Italy, Portugal, and South Africa.
Charles Metcalfe –
One of the most acute wine critics in Britain, Metcalfe is Vice President of the International Wine Challenge, the largest wine competition held in London, and correspondent for Wine Business International.
Bernard Burtschy – A great wine lover, who has also turned into wine writer, Burtschy has collaborated since 1993 with Revue du Vin de France and is co-editor of Le Classement (Editions Revue du Vin de France). He has been the author and co-author of numerous publications like the Gault Millau guide, the French sommelier guide, the Larousse wine guide, as well as being a member of the European Grand Jury.