January 19, 2023.—” La piel de la vid” has been recognized as the Best Experience in the Natural-Rural Mediterranean category and in the overall category at the first edition of the CreaTurisme Awards.

The “La piel de la vid” wine tourism experience offered by the Viver Cooperative has been honored at the 1st Annual CreaTurisme Awards with the Best CreaTurisme Experience Award, as well as the award in the Best Natural-Rural Mediterranean Experience category. Cati Corell, Director of Product and Agritourism at the Viver Cooperative, received the two awards today on Valencian Community Day at FITUR from the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, and the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer. “It is immensely satisfying to see the tourism experiences that a cooperative like Viver’s—located in an inland region—has developed around its agricultural products gain recognition. We hope this recognition will encourage people to come visit us and experience firsthand the vineyards, the winery, and the wines we produce,” explains Cati Corell.

Reviving its great winemaking tradition

“La piel de la vid” was born out of the “dignified agriculture” project championed by the Viver Cooperative, where learning about the origin of the raw materials used in its wines, as well as the conditions and methods of cultivation, without losing sight of the fragility and uncertainty of the agricultural sector, is key to understanding the true scope of wine production in the municipality, whose winemaking tradition dates back to the arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century B.C. In its role as a unifying and dynamic force in the region, the cooperative offers unique agritourism experiences centered on its main products—wine and olive oil—which not only highlight these products but also showcase the interior of Castellón as a high-quality rural tourism destination linked to agriculture and nature. In 2022, these tourism experiences welcomed more than 1,600 visitors—approximately 30% more than in typical previous years, when annual visits barely reached 1,000. Cati Corell attributes this increase to the uniqueness of the offerings—which incorporate highly visual and recreational elements—as well as to word-of-mouth recommendations and promotion on social media and the internet, all while being underpinned by cooperative products of recognized quality.

Specialized and Experiential Tourism

Turisme Comunitat Valenciana presents these awards as part of its CreaTurisme strategy to promote “highly specialized, segmented, and experience-based tourism products,” recognizing the best and most unique experiences published to date on the ExperienciasCV website, “an open platform for tourism experiences where companies in the Valencian Community can promote and market their own offerings.” The President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, emphasized that “the great value of our Community lies in its diversity and in knowing how to turn that into a tourism resource.” Along the same lines, the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, stressed the need for innovation in the tourism sector, noting that “each of our destinations must relearn how to shine its own light within our diversity, from whose unity our strength springs.” In addition to the ExperienciasCV portal, “La piel de la vid” can be booked year-round through the Viver Cooperative’s website. The experience includes a tour of the vineyards and the winery, as well as a tasting of three wines with lunch. Wine also takes center stage at other special events organized by the cooperative, which have drawn large crowds in previous years, such as the “Viver WineFest,” held in August, and “Tiempo de vendimia,” which takes place in September during the grape harvest.

CreaTurisme Award for Best Wine Tourism Experience Featuring Grape Skins, presented to the Viver Cooperative at Fitur 2023