Mora said that the DO decided to focus on markets that were particularly focused on grape and variety rather than region, but hopes this effort will focus attention to Rueda in a positive way. “Most importantly we are talking about Verdejo, a varietal that was born 10 centures ago in the Rueda region,” he said. “For us this day is an opportunity to let international consumers know a little bit more about the Verdejo grape and the Rudea region.”
This year’s celebrations included social media campaigns and competitions in eight different global regions including the US and US, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Holland and Belgium. “We are now very focused in international markets on education, education, education. Because it’s the way we can introduce our wines to increase our notoriety and the position in retail and restaurants.”
Verdejo is a white wine grape native to northern Spain, with the word deriving from the Spanish for green, verde. DO Ruedea is the major producer of the varietal, though it is grown in other Spanish regions and aelsewhere round the world.