We are expanding our Terroir Workshop with new partnerships in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Mexico and Japan. We have enlisted nine of the world’s top wine experts to host global workshops dedicated to the highest quality range of Spanish wines. With this announcement, The Terroir Workshop by GPE has doubled in size and expanded to five countries since its launch in Spring 2023. Our global education team is committed to promoting winemaking excellence in Spain, led by David Glancy, MS, CWE (San Francisco Wine School); Erika Frey, CS, CWE, DipWSET (Commonwealth Wine School, Boston); Dilek Caner, MW (Dallas Wine School); James Pollock, CAPS, WSET (George Brown College, Toronto), Yoshiko Akehi Spanish wine educator (Tokyo); Jimmy Smith, DipWSET, and Frances Moynihan, DipWSET (South and West London Wine Schools).
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Grandes Pagos de España, and we couldn’t be prouder that our original founding mission has now become a global reality, led by the world’s foremost leaders in wine education,” said GPE President María del Yerro. “Together, we’re working to bring Spain’s pago culture to life by supporting this tremendous legacy of single-estate winemaking and the people behind our wines. We’re thrilled that The Terroir Workshop’s worldwide appeal speaks to a collective interest in the highest-quality tier of Spanish wines.”
Launched in 2023, the Terroir Workshop series is a global education program that provides comprehensive coursework designed for consumers and trade led by top Spanish wine experts. Classroom study and tasting focus on the foremost Spanish “pagos,” a single vineyard designation equivalent to the term “cru” reserved for notable viticultural sites. Last year’s in-person workshops launched in Miami, Los Angeles and Mexico City. Under the guidance of GPE’s growing education team, new workshops are planned for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Mexico City, London, Toronto and Tokyo.
The global wine education team for The Terroir Workshop by Grandes Pagos de España includes:
- David Glancy, MS, CWE, is one of 12 people worldwide to hold both credentials. He founded San Francisco Wine School in 2011.
- Dilek Caner, MW, is the director of the Dallas Wine Education Center in Texas.
- Erika Frey is the education coordinator for the Commonwealth Wine School in Boston. She holds more than 25 advanced wine and spirits certifications.
- Frances Moynihan, DipWSET, an educator for West London Wine School, is a recognized Spanish, French and Italian Wine Scholar.
- Jimmy Smith, DipWSET, founder and owner of West London Wine School, was recognized as the 2018 WSET Wine Educator of the Year.
- Monica Marin, DipWSET, is the director of education for the WSET in Southern California, and teaches Diploma level courses in seven countries.
- Sandra Fernández Gaytán, CWE, CSS, CWP based in Mexico City, is the most-awarded wine educator in Mexico. She is the founder of SFG Estrategias en Vinos y Destilados.
- Yoshiko Akehi is a leading wine journalist and educator in Spanish wine courses, Tokyo.
- James Pollock, CAPS, WSET, is a Sommelier certified from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS), and Director of Wines at the hospitality school’s restaurant and teaches at George Brown College.
2024 marks the 20th year since the official establishment of our association in 2004. Founded in 2000 by five producers of single-estate wines who shared a vision for the future of elite Spanish winemaking, the establishment of what was then known as Grandes Pagos de Castilla represented the first association of winemakers dedicated to high-quality, single-estate wine production. By 2004, the group had grown beyond Castilla to 12 estates, which became known as the Grandes Pagos de España. Currently at 34 member wineries, GPE’s exponential growth over the years is testament to the collective value of preserving terroir and single vineyard origins in modern winemaking.
