Ruta del Vino Somontano

The food and wine fair has broken its overall record with over 79,000 tapas and the same number of glasses of wine served to the public.

The festival was brought to a resounding close with a concert by Dani Martín.  He entered the stage on a bicycle in front of 2,700 people to the theme of the sci-fi film “E.T.”  From that unique entrance, he went onto perform hits from his album “Pequeno,” which launched his solo career after a successful period with the group “El Canto del Loco.”  He was the founding member and vocalist of this popular group and left in 2010.  The singer toasted the crowd with a glass of wine, as promised while earlier signing the DO Somontano’s Book of Honour, and went onto to perform new songs as well as a number of popular hits from his ex-band.

Impressive facts and figures

The Gastronomic Fair once again served up record amounts of wine and tapas with a total of 14,500 of each bought last night.  This represents a 15% increase on the figures for the same night last year.  Adding the four night’s figures together, a total of 79,000 glasses of wine, and the same amount again of tapas, were served during the Gastronomic Fair, representing a 5% increase on the previous year’s figures.  This is particularly impressive as more tickets would undoubtedly have been sold had it not been for the rain on Friday night. 

The Festival’s complementary programme, with its varied activities by both day and night, has also enjoyed great support from the public.  150 people have used the Somontano Wine Bus; more than 200 have participated in wine workshops and tasting courses; hundreds of people have visited wineries within the DO Somontano region and many more have taken part in special events linking wine and culture. The festival organisers are delighted with the results and recognise and appreciate the loyalty of both the resident public and new supporters who wish to discover and enjoy Somontano through this unique gastronomic and cultural event.  Against the setting of the current financial crisis, these figures highlight the popularity of the festival and show it to be a priority even in times of difficulty.

One hour before the concert, Dani Martín had an enjoyable meeting with Mariano Beroz, president of the DO Somontano Regulatory Council, which organises the event.  The organisers officially welcomed the artist to the region and presented him with a case of 6 bottles of Somontano wine, together with a commemorative book of the region.  Dani Martín signed the Book of Honour adding the words, “For this wonderful land of great wine, Somontano!! Here, a wine lover who is making a stop along its route. Thank you Barbastro with all of my heart.  Lots of luck, friends!”  Alter commenting to the president that he would like to return again to get to know the region better, the singer signed autographs and had his photograph taken with a number of fans.

With the 2,700 fans who enjoyed Dani Martin’s concert, the Somontano Wine Festival brought the 12th edition to a close with a total of almost 9,000 concert attendees.  A further 3,000 would have been added to this final figure had it not been for the heavy rain on Friday night which caused the cancellation of Rosario’s concert.