“We need a Spain Fusion every month”

He was accompanied at the opening ceremony by Alfonso Fernández, an expert in Spanish cuisine and products, who kicked off the program with a talk on sherry vinegar. Vinegar is one of the seven key elements—along with wines, cavas, cheeses, preserves, extra virgin olive oils, and Iberian ham—of the Spain Fusion program, “a product still relatively unknown but one that can elevate any dish.” The attendees, journalists, businesspeople, and influencers from the Texas city, enthusiastically agreed with the tasting. “Sherry vinegar is perfect for livening up a barbecue or enhancing ketchup,” Fernández emphasized, seeking examples that would further engage the audience.

I found it, for example, in Susana Bray, a Spaniard born in Switzerland who has lived in Dallas for over 30 years. “This kind of event is very important for learning, for the public to get to know Spanish cuisine and products better, because currently they confuse them with Mexican cuisine and don't really get to know them. When they do, as happens here, they are surprised and convinced.” Another participant, Lily Poulsa, a Texan of Cuban origin, continued the line of argument: “More communication is needed. Spanish cuisine is wholesome and healthy, and this aspect should be promoted more here, since there is a great affinity for this type of food.”

These were two testimonials from participants of this first Spain Fusion, confirming the current success of Spanish wines, but also highlighting the need to improve communication with international markets and marketing strategies. “We already had quantity; now we must show that we also have quality.” Fernando Mora, one of only six Masters of Wine in Spain and owner and sommelier of Bodegas Frontonio (Zaragoza), emphasized the wine revolution taking place in Spain, “the same one Italy experienced 30 years ago. We are in a golden age. We are no longer a country of strong, relatively inexpensive wines. We have a great diversity of wines and vineyards, with young people starting projects that are placing us at the forefront globally. We are not the Coca-Cola of wine,” he asserted.

Before Fernández expanded the audience's knowledge of Spanish cheeses with a tasting of San Simón (made from cow's milk), a Castilian-Leonese sheep's milk cheese, and another from Zamora, also made from sheep's milk ("We work with all cheesemaking techniques thanks to the variety of territories and climates, so we have nothing to envy in France, which is always the benchmark in this field"), Mora concluded his talk by pointing to where the focus should be: "Spain has very high-quality wines, but until now we have focused on the more conventional brands. We must focus on the premium ones, the ones that create an image." Among these, he suggested "investing in century-old vineyards, since we are the country with the most hectares of old vines in the world." Mora finished by advising the audience that when they go to a restaurant and see a Spanish wine they recognize, they should order it, but they should do the same with wines they don't know, "because we are doing very well and it should be known."

More calls for communication and promotion of Spanish quality. The public responded, and after the tasting, they went to the stand of distributor Jorge Ordóñez for more samples. It was his company's sales representative at the event, the cheerful American Sandra K. Samwel, who concluded with a key point: "Congresses like this should be held every month to generate a culture and a demand for the product, making it easier for Texan diners to find it." Bray and Poulsa would certainly appreciate it.

“Italy has a head start on us,” concluded the representative from Viña Valoria, also showcasing wines at Spain Fusion. “Right here in Texas, you see many Italian and French restaurants, which generate economic activity and knowledge about their products and cuisine. We lack that.” One step at a time. We continue on Wednesday in San Antonio.