At a time when the global wine industry is asking itself how to protect traditional varieties from an increasingly extreme climate, the Monastrell España Association has given a clear and direct answer at the London Wine Fair 2026: the solution is not to defend what exists, but to look at what has already been thriving in extreme conditions for centuries.
The masterclass, once again led this year by the renowned Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans, sold out, drawing a professional audience keen to delve deeper. Evans guided attendees through a tasting of eight Monastrell wines, while also highlighting the variety’s key role as a response to climate change.
Behind this success lies the Monastrell Spain Association, which brings together the five denominations of origin with the largest area of Monastrell in the world: Alicante, Almansa, Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla.
It was Rosana Trujillo, representing the Monastrell España Association, who opened the event with an introduction that underscored the value of this network of denominations and reminded everyone that south-eastern Spain is the world cradle of the variety.
Under the title “Meet Monastrell, the climate change variety”, Sarah Jane Evans proposed a radical shift in the debate on the future of wine in the face of global warming from the very start.
The expert focused on south-eastern Spain, one of the toughest wine-growing regions in Europe: summer temperatures exceeding 40°C, annual rainfall of just 250–350 mm, poor, calcareous soils, and a landscape where few premium varieties dare to grow. “Monastrell hasn’t had to adapt to climate change because it has always lived in it,” she stressed.
A journey through eight expressions of the variety
The tasting allowed attendees to explore different styles and expressions, from fresher, fruitier wines to those with greater structure and complexity:
- Parajes del Valle 2024 – Parajes del Valle Bodegas y Viñedos – DO Jumilla
- Las Gravas 2023 – Bodegas Casa Castillo – DO Jumilla
- Viña Guerán 2023 – Casa Balaguer – DO Alicante
- Clío 2023 – Bodegas El Nido – DO Jumilla
- Casa Capitán Monastrell 2022 – Barahonda – DO Yecla
- Cañada del Soto Crianza 2021 – Bodegas Cano – DO Almansa
- Sericis Monastrell 2020 – Murviedro – DO Alicante
- Vimus Parcela 88 Teclas 2019 – Bodegas Hydria – DO Bullas
The British market backs authenticity
The high level of participation led to a lively Q&A session and numerous expressions of interest from British importers and distributors, who saw Monastrell as an opportunity to expand their portfolios with authentic, sustainable wines backed by a powerful story.
With this action, Monastrell Spain consolidates its positioning strategy in the United Kingdom – one of the most important markets for the variety – and sends a clear message to the industry: it is not about protecting what we have, but about recognising what was always there. The future of wine is already planted in the soil of south-eastern Spain. We just had to know how to look.
