The twenty-fourth edition of the international Ecoracimo contest, an event that highlights organic wines and vinegars, concluded on a high note, awarding the highest award to ‘Bobal Icon’, a red wine produced by Bodegas Pagos de Familia Vega Tolosa, located in the Denomination of Origin Manchuela in Albacete. The contest, jointly organized by Ecovalia, the Córdoba Provincial Council and the Montilla City Council, took place at the Castillo del Gran Capitán, in Montilla.
The Diputación de Córdoba Special Prize, considered the most outstanding recognition of the contest, was awarded to the red wine ‘Bobal Icon’ after a rigorous evaluation. Furthermore, in the vinegar category, the vinegar ‘Piedra Luenga Bio al Oloroso saca especial’ from Bodegas Robles, located in Montilla, Córdoba, was the one that obtained the highest score.
The contest brought together around 200 samples from eight autonomous communities of Spain, namely, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Andalusia, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Murcia, La Rioja and Navarra. A total of 16 expert tasters were in charge of evaluating and scoring the samples presented.
Álvaro Barrera, president of Ecovalia, highlighted the importance of this contest for positioning Spain, and especially Andalusia, as a benchmark in organic production at a European and national level, respectively. He stressed that this recognition is the result, among other factors, of the quality exhibited at Ecoracimo.
On the other hand, Rocío Márquez, winemaker and technical director of Ecoracimo, emphasized the diversity of the products presented, including from sparkling wines to reds, white wines and vinegars. This, according to Márquez, demonstrates the strength of the sector and the commitment of producers to Ecoracimo.
Rafael Llamas, mayor of Montilla, pointed out that the event represents an excellent opportunity at the local level to promote the Montilla brand, particularly linked to organic wines.
Additionally, Francisco Ramón Acosta, territorial delegate for Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía in Córdoba, highlighted that in the province of Córdoba the area dedicated to organic production has doubled in the last decade, reaching close to 250,000 hectares.
It is important to mention that Ecoracimo was sponsored by EncajaBio and the collaboration of SOW (Spanish Organic Wines), Vinavin (Association of Friends and Lovers of Wine and Vinegar), Sobremesa magazine, the Andalusian Gastronomy Chair of the University of Córdoba and the Male Group.
