This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
One of the things that this pandemic has taken away from us and that we’ve missed most at Bodegas Arzuaga is travelling. Part of our work is focused on bringing Arzuaga to the world and seeing the great reception it gets in the countries where our wines already feature on the menus of the best bars and restaurants. That’s why it’s been especially exciting for us to be able to go back to one of the places that most special for Arzuaga: Dubai. In February 2020, just a few weeks before this terrible situation began, Dubai was our last destination, as we told you in this post on our blog. And when we’ve able to travel again, it was also the first place where we did a little tour with a series of activities that we’ll tell you about below.
This time, it was Javier Bañales, Arzuaga’s sales manager and brand ambassador, who was solely responsible for representing our winery in the Emirati city. One very special event that was on his agenda, which we’ll tell you about more in this post, was held in the best European restaurant in the United Arab Emirates: Boca. There, Javier was responsible for leading a tasting where five of our most outstanding wines shared the stage with paellas made by the prestigious rice chef Vicente Rioja. Seventy people enjoyed Vicente’s creations paired with our wines – it was truly spectacular!
Javier also did other tastings and activities featuring Arzuaga wines during his trip. Among the most prominent tastings was the one held with some of the best sommeliers and restaurants in Dubai, as well as the one at the amazing restaurant Ossiano, one of the restaurants within the Hotel Atlantis, or at 99 Sushi Bar. Training and educational meetings were also held for the Boca sommelier team and waiting staff, in addition to a special tasting for the group of sales representatives responsible for sales in shops of our local importer, African + Eastern.
There’s no question that the United Arab Emirates, and Dubai, more specifically, is a market of great interest to Bodegas Arzuaga, which is present in some of the most exclusive establishments in this emirate. But this trip was also more special to us for everything it stands for and for the time it took for us to be able to go back. Dubai welcomed us again with open arms and we go back to Spain happy and looking forward to the next visit.