WINE SHAPERS
International Young Talents Summit

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5-7 march 2026
Vitoria-Gasteiz / Rioja Alavesa

Sponsors

Impulsores institucionales

What is Wine Shapers?

Wine Shapers is a meeting point created to highlight emerging talent in the wine industry.

Over three days, young professionals, wineries, researchers, and leading figures from the world of wine will gather in Euskadi—between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Rioja Alavesa—to share knowledge, explore new perspectives, and strengthen intergenerational connections. This event seeks to inspire a new way of understanding wine through innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.

Agenda

Three days to inspire, learn, and connect

Talks, experiences, and networking between Rioja Alavesa and Vitoria-Gasteiz: the perfect setting to discover new perspectives on wine and its future. Wine Shapers invites you to:

  • Thursday 5 – Conference day at ARKABIA, in the heart of Vitoria-Gasteiz
  • Friday 6 – Routes and closing dinner
  • Saturday 7 – Gastronomic experiences

5/03 – CONTENT DAY

ARKABIA
The entire program will be in English. Attendees who wish can use the simultaneous translation service.

  • 9:00-9:30h. Accreditations.
  • 9:30-9:50h. Official opening and institutional remarks.
  • 9:55 – 10:40h. KEYNOTE – Andrés Pascual.
  • 10:45-11:20h. DEBATE 1. Regenerative wine: beyond sustainability. From “sustainable” practices and approaches to regenerative models.
    ·Carlos López de Lacalle Artadi
    ·Roc Gramona Gramona
    ·Paul Chevreux Vizinho Vinhateiro
    ·Santi Del Popolo Per se
    ·Ana Laura Rodríguez Puerta del Lobo
    ·Moderator Gonzaga Santesteban
  • 11:20-12:00h. Coffee Break 
  • 12:05-12:40h. DEBATE 2. Rethinking wine: how a new generation is changing the rules.
    ·Federica Boffa Pio Cesare
    ·Neza Skrt Aiurri
    ·Charly Gotchac Indiano
    ·Ian Hongjing Dai XiaoPu
    ·Manu Michelini Michelini/Michelini&Muffato/Challao
    ·Moderator Amaya Cervera
  • 12:45-13:30h. DEBATE 3. Rethinking wine tourism: experience, sustainability, and the new generation of travelers.
    · Jesús Rivera Vinos El Cielo
    · Paloma Sénéclauze Château Marquis de Terme
    · Ester Llopart Llopart
    · Filip Rossi Vinarija i Destilerija Rossi
    · Rocío Sánchez Mahave Baigorri
    · Moderator David Mora
  • 13:30-15:00h. Coctel.
  • 15:00-15:40h. Interactive session. Shaping the future of wine together: small-group debates to co-create proposals for the wine industry.
  • 15:45-16:35h. Wine tasting. Rocío Benito y Juan Carlos Vidarte – Luis Baselga
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6/03 – ROUTES AND CLOSING DINNER

The second day will feature young local producers who will act as hosts in their own towns. You can join one of the five available routes:

  • Getaria – Mikel Txueka (Txomin Etxaniz)

This route offers an immersion into txakoli, highlighting its connection with the Atlantic landscape.

Wineries to be visited: Txomin Etxaniz & K5

  • Labastida – Alain Quintana (Bodegas Familia Quintana)

Labastida offers a calm and authentic experience alongside Alain Quintana, focused on respect for the landscape and time.

Wineries to be visited: Bodegas Tierra, Manuel Quintano & Remelluri

  • Elciego – Judit and Juan Valdelana (Bodegas Valdelana)

In Elciego, Judit and Juan Valdelana present a family project that brings together tradition, heritage, and wine tourism.

Wineries to be visited: Luberri, Valdelana & Marqués de Riscal

  • Samaniego – Familia Sáenz de Samaniego (Ostatu)

An intimate experience that connects village, vineyard, and community, with wines born from daily work that reflect the rural and cooperative essence of Rioja Alavesa.

Wineries to be visited: Ostatu, Remirez de Ganuza & Luis Cañas

  • Laguardia – Patricia López de Lacalle (Artadi)

A route focused on the vineyard as a reflection of place and landscape.

Wineries to be visited: Artadi, Las Orcas, Ukan & Javier San Pedro

All routes will have the same departure/return point: Calle Nieves Cano (Aulario, bus stop). Departure will be at 9:15 a.m., with expected arrival in Vitoria-Gasteiz at 5:00 p.m.

In addition, on Friday the 6th we will hold the Wine Shapers closing dinner and party — the perfect opportunity to share everything learned over the two days. Dinner will begin at 8:00 p.m. at the ID-arte Public School of Art and Higher Design of Euskadi (C/ Portal de Betoño, 23). Don’t miss it!

Sign up for the routes

7/03 – GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES

Exclusive gastronomic experiences
designed by arabaK0,the emerging
collective of Alava cuisine. In each of
them, a local chef will create a unique
menu in collaboration with a young
international producer or producer of
Wine Shapers, exploring the dialogue
between product, territory and wine.

On the occasion of the congress,
these experiences are offered in
full gastronomic menu format
with pairing for 75€, a special
price designed to celebrate
this meeting between talents
of cuisine and wine.

Four proposals, four spaces,
four visions of Alava gastronomy
in conversation with the world of wine.

Buy yout ticket

Winemakers Dinners

Where wine and gastronomy meet.

07/03/2026 20:30

KROMATIKO

In the heart of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Kromatiko is born — a restaurant where color, flavor, and aroma come together to offer a gastronomic menu that invites you to travel without leaving your seat. Each visit is a sensory journey, an opportunity to discover the world through local, seasonal produce.

At the helm of the project are Aitor Etxenike, a chef with a restless spirit, and Zuriñe Kim, head of the dining room and sommelier. United by their love of gastronomy, their passion for exploring the world, and their desire to share their experiences with you, their proposal reflects this vital fusion: Basque heart, nomadic soul.

At Kromatiko, the kitchen is a canvas where tradition and discovery intertwine. Each dish converses with distant lands without losing its connection to the soil that inspires it. Respect for the environment and a constant pursuit of emotion set the course of this gastronomic journey, where color becomes a language and every detail invites you to be surprised.

07/03/2026 20:30

KEA

Our instinct led us to pay tribute to all the producers, farmers, shepherds, and artisans who, through their effort and dedication, have forged and sown the seeds of a culture rooted in place and in respect for the product.
KEA is not just our kitchen. We want you to feel at home, surrounded by textures and colors that connect with our essence. Ongietorri! Come closer, breathe in KEA, and enjoy.

07/03/2026 20:30

EL PUNTIDO

Choosing Restaurante El Puntido means enjoying an honest cuisine, rooted in deep respect for the product, prepared with the utmost delicacy and precision.

The story of El Puntido begins in 1975, when Guillermo Eguren planted the vineyard in this borderland of cultivation in Rioja Alavesa. The first chapter was released in 2001, with the first vintage vinified under its own name.

Twenty years after that inspiring debut, El Puntido expands its reputation and begins to write a new chapter in which past, present, and future come together at the table.

07/03/2026 20:30

A four-hands collaboration between SUA Basque Fusion and KIMUA

SUA Basque Fusion

Gorka Arrieta has achieved something truly unique with SUA Basque Fusion: he has carried the essence of Basque cuisine with him through his experiences in Ireland and brought that fusion of flavors back to his home community. SUA Basque Fusion is a tribute to diversity and a testament to how a passion for cooking can transcend borders.

On Gorka Arrieta’s plate, every ingredient tells a story, and every creation is an expression of his culinary journey. SUA Basque Fusion reflects a chef who has transformed his love for cooking into a truly distinctive gastronomic experience for all those seeking to explore new culinary horizons.

KIMUA

Nuestra propuesta parte de la tradición alavesa y de nuestra propia historia como cocineros, pero no se detiene ahí. Nos interesa recuperar productos, técnicas y sabores de aquí, reinterpretarlos sin caer en la nostalgia, y darles una forma actual, coherente, sincera. No buscamos impresionar, sino emocionar.

Apostamos por una cocina bien pensada, con el producto local y de temporada como base y elaborada por un equipo joven que se toma en serio el oficio: con ganas de aportar, aprender y crecer.

Participants

Meet the protagonists of Wine Shapers

Speakers, winemakers, chefs, and experts who will share their vision, experiences, and passion at Wine Shapers 2026.

Carlos López de Lacalle

Roc Gramona

Paul Chevreux

Gonzaga Santesteban

Federica Boffa

Neza Skrt

Charly Gotchac

Ian Hongjing Dai

Amaya Cervera

Filip Rossi

David Mora

Ester Cardús

Paloma Sénéclauze

Jesús Rivera

Manu Michelini

Rocío Sánchez

Santi Del Popolo

Ana Laura Rodríguez

Save the date

Wine Shapers

5-7 march 2026
Vitoria-Gasteiz / Rioja Alavesa

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