Madrid, October 2007.- Pancho Campo, founder of the Wine Academy of Spain, has become one of the most knowledgeable and influencial people in climate change and its effects in the wine industry. His extensive experience combined with  an effort to improve the environment have brought him close to other crusaders like Al Gore, Michel Rolland, Ernest Loosen or Miguel Torres, all leading experts in climate change.

An ex professional tennis player, Pancho went from organizing sporting events to becoming a concert promoter. Finally, four years ago he followed his true passion and became involved in the world of wine by founding the Wine Academy of Spain. He has studied viticulture and wine marketing in the prestigious University of California Davis. This knowledge has allowed him to teach the WSET courses in Spain(Wine & Spirit Education Trust). He is the founder of the International Wine Simposium and is responsible for the First Global Meeting on Climate Change and Wine, the Barcelona Wine Festival and the Madrid Wine Festival, (Madwine).

Thanks to his excellent training, experience and contribution to the world of wine, Pancho Campo has recently become recognised by the Ministry of Environment as the first Spaniard to have applied the IPCC’s scientifical results to a specific industry. He has traveled from California to Hong Kong conducting lectures and conferences about global warming and the effects of climate change in the wine industry. In his conferences he sets out to expose the following issues: Why is climate changing and the scientifical bases that explain these changes; the repercussions of climate change in the vineyards and wineries; pests and diseases in the vines as a resultof climate change; stances taken by winemakers and consumers in regards to climate change; economic consequences; solutions to fight climate change and the future of the wine industry. Campo is also a regular collaborator in some of the most prestigious wine magazines, which has made him an interesting personality for important media like The Times, Nacional Geographic or the BBC.

Without a doubt, Pancho Campo is the great Spanish ambassador in the fight against climate change and its effects in the wine industry. Because of this, and due to the success of the first edition in 2006, he is organising the second edition of the International Conferences on Climate Change and Wine, which will take place on the 15th and 16th of February, 2008, in Barcelona. This conference will feature the participation of some of the world’s most prestigious scientists and professionals, as well as the Vicepresident of the United States and current world leader in the fight against climate change, Al Gore. The Wine Academy of Spain, and especially its president, Pancho Campo, supported by the OIV (Organización Internacional de la Viña y el Vino), the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Environment, aim to make people aware of the possible impacts that climate change will have on the planet and specifically in the wine industry. These impacts are further studied, with excellent results, in courses and seminars that pancho Campo teaches through his academy; www.thewineacademy.es – www.climatechangeandwine.com