Empordà Wine Fair grows to 11 wineries in Figueres

The Mostra del Vi de l'Empordà, the Empordà wine fair in Figueres, will feature 11 wineries this year, three more than in 2025. It is the fair's 40th edition. For the first time it will share a single space with the Fòrum Gastronòmic Ciutat, the town's food forum, on the Rambla from 2 to 4 October.

All participating wineries belong to the DO Empordà, the denominació d'origen (protected designation of origin) that certifies wines from the area. The list is Celler Cooperatiu d'Espolla, La Vinyeta (Mollet de Peralada), Mas Llunes and Masetplana (Garriguella), Espelt Viticultors (Vilajuïga), Pere Guardiola (Capmany), AV Bodeguers (Vilamaniscle), Terra Remota (Sant Climent Sescebes), Empordàlia (Vilajuïga/Pau), Vinyes dels Aspres (Cantallops) and Mas Vida (Cistella).

Opening hours and tickets

The wine fair will follow the same hours as the food forum. It runs from 5pm to 11pm on Friday and from 12pm to 11pm on Saturday and Sunday. Prices have not changed since last year: €15 buys a strip of six tickets.

Figueres City Council, the DO Empordà and Incatis organise the event. The Diputació de Girona, the provincial government, supports it through its Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board.

A new wine bar and a chef as herald

The main new feature is a Bar à Vins, a wine bar set up to give DO Empordà labels more exposure. It will add to the winery stands with its own list of 25 wines to try over the three days. The bar will stay open until the fair closes each night.

Live music will keep the Rambla busy until 11pm every evening, and the programme also includes activities for families. Jaume Subirós, chef and owner of the Motel Empordà in Figueres, will give the pregó, the traditional opening speech. The inauguration is on Friday 2 October at 7pm.

Food stands from both events will line the Rambla. Stallholders include Ostrens!, Sa Croqueta, Santa Focaccia, Embotits Vilanova, El Millor Brunyol, Pescadors Cap de Creus and the Escola d'Hostaleria catering school. There will also be an olive oil area and a Wine Lab.

Programme of activities

Activities start on Thursday 1 October at 8.30pm at La Cate. Cineclub Diòptria will screen L'incroyable trésor de Michel Chasseuil by Romain Dybiec (France, 2023), which won Best Documentary at the Most Festival 2025. A free tasting of DO Empordà wines follows the film.

On the Rambla, Genni Knows plays on Friday at 9pm. On Saturday at 1pm the public can help paint "El Mural del Vi", a large collective canvas that uses DO Empordà wine as pigment. Saturday also brings the children's activity "Petits sommeliers" at 5pm, an Empordà aroma game at 6pm and a concert by Sunmorenao at 9pm.

On Sunday the mural (1pm) and the aroma game (6pm) return. A second children's session, "Un most per a Dionís", takes place at 5pm, and Norfeu i Molina close the fair with a concert at 8pm.

Tastings in unusual venues

The DO Empordà and the council are again holding four tastings in unusual locations:

• 1 October, 6pm, Toy Museum of Catalonia rooftop: sommelier and podcaster Josep Miquel Guasch presents the region's traditional white grape varieties.
• 2 October, 7pm, Cercle Sport Figuerenc: archaeologist and sommelier Romina Ribera Marigó leads a quiz-style tasting with prizes.
• 3 October, 12pm, Balcó del Mercat (Plaça Catalunya): Clara Antúnez of La Gastronòmica compares Garnatxa and Carinyena wines.
• 3 October, 6pm, Hotel Divino rooftop: journalist and sommelier Laura Masramon explores iconic sea and mountain vineyards.

Each tasting costs €15 and must be booked at doemporda.cat.

Why the dates moved

The fair used to be held at the end of June. Organisers moved it to the first weekend of October to escape the heatwaves that hit recent editions. The new date also avoids the grape harvest, so wineries find it easier to take part.

Incatis is managing the fair for the first time. According to the organisers, it wants to respect the event's 40-year history while making it more professional and raising the wineries' profile. The changes came out of working meetings with the main DO wineries and respond to needs the sector itself raised.

Our Take

The move to October looks like a practical answer to two recurring problems, summer heat and harvest pressure. Three more wineries on the list suggests the sector has responded well. Merging the fair with the food forum also changes the offer. Instead of a short tasting visit, organisers want people to spend most of the day on the Rambla.

For residents of Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, Figueres is a short drive away. The same weekend, the town is also opening the old prison gardens on 3 October. The fair joins a busy autumn calendar that includes the craft beer and music fair in Roses and Oktoberfest in Empuriabrava. This points to a region trying to hold on to visitors after the summer peak.

It is worth watching whether the combined format draws bigger crowds than the June editions did, and whether more DO Empordà wineries sign up next year under Incatis.