There was complicity on stage, the kind that is noticeable when voices don't compete, but rather blend together. I had the opportunity to moderate the conversation between Gerard Domingo, Empar Moliner, and Lluís Tolosa, invited by The New Barcelona Post and the Barcelona Provincial Council to talk about wine tourism in the country, with the province of Barcelona as the spearhead, and it soon became clear that, beyond the diversity of tones, all three agreed on the same toast: this country has a long way to go. It just needs to want to travel it.
Empar said it with her usual frankness: "We are the kings of criticizing ourselves, and that ends up taking its toll on us even with wine and sparkling wine." The reflection of collective low self-esteem ran through the conversation and became a diagnosis. Because we have a wine and wine tourism richness that many countries would envy, but it seems evident that we still don't quite believe it.
Lluís Tolosa, with the experience of someone who has been battling for years, recalled how his idea of the Catalan Wine House, back in 2011, was shelved, while in China, France, or Italy, institutions and the private sector work together to promote initiatives of this type. Here, on the other hand, as Gerard Domingo warned, there are still too many wineries that don't even offer a proper search engine to book a visit through their website. Small shortcomings that end up weighing like big burdens.
And yet, the seed is there. The Escola d'Enoturisme has been working for years on the professionalization of the sector. And the talent, quality, and diversity of the product exist. All that's missing is for the narrative to take hold. For us to believe it. Because, in times when tourism is often perceived as a threat, wine tourism brings clear and distinct value to the territory: it roots the visit in the landscape, in the wine, in the people.
At the end of the conversation, I was left with the feeling that Catalonia has all the ingredients to throw a great party with wine tourism, but that it is necessary to open the bottle, serve the glasses, and truly toast. Because only if we (the country as a whole) believe it, will we get institutions and the private sector to commit with the strength and continuity it deserves. As in so many other key fronts where it is difficult for us to combine self-esteem and country. Wouldn't it be worth getting to it, when it makes perfect sense to do so?