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DO Rueda celebrates World Verdejo Day to ‘increase notoriety of the region’, says MD
World Verdejo Day, celebrated across eight countries on Friday 10 June, is a chance to increase notoriety for DO Rueda and educate consumers on the quality of the region’s wines, says managing director Santiago Mora.
“Verdejo day has become more and more important,” says DO Rueda managing director Santiago Mora.
What started in 2013 in four cities across the US soon grew by 2018 into an international celebration of the Verdejo grape led by DO Rueda in partnership with the Ribera del Duero DO.
The 2022 celebrations will take place this Friday 10 June, with social media campaigns and competitions targeting eight different regions across the world, including the UK and US, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Holland and Belgium.
Verdejo is a grape variety native to the DO Rueda in northern Spain, and the name Verdejo comes from the Spanish word for green (verde).
Whilst the varietal is grown in different regions around Spain, and the world, DO Rueda is the main producer, accounting for the majority of Verdejo wines made in Spain.
Mora hopes that in celebrating the grape variety, World Verdejo Day will raise awareness for the Rueda region.
Expanding into regions outside of the US from 2018, Mora says the DO chose to look to markets particularly “focused on grape and varietal, rather than region”, but hopes this effort will filter back to Rueda in a positive way.
“Most importantly we are talking about Verdejo – a varietal that was born 10 centuries ago in the Rueda region,” he says.
“For us this day is an opportunity to let international consumers know a little bit more about the Verdejo grape and the Rueda region. That’s why we’re launching different activities in these eight countries.”
With social media campaigns and competitions, education and awareness are key to spreading the word. He adds: “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.”