More than four decades of experience back up the experience of Grupo Gourmets as a gastronomic publishing house, manager of Club Vinos Gourmets and private trade fair operator. It was founded in 1976 with the creation of Club de Gourmets, Spain's pioneering magazine dedicated exclusively to gastronomy, wine and travel, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. A window to the world where you can discover national and international culinary and oenological trends, restaurant recommendations, wines, products, etc. on a monthly basis.
A few months later, in December 1976, gastronomy professionals and enthusiasts met at the first Gourmets Round Table, a forum for debate where, among other topics, the culinary situation and repercussions of the moment were analysed. This unprecedented event laid the foundations of the New Spanish Cuisine and was a turning point for the progress of Spanish gastronomy. This was the first of successive Gastronomy Round Tables until the 11st edition was held at the 38th Salon Gourmets.
After the excellent reception of the first issues of Club de Gourmets and these conferences, in 1979 Grupo Gourmets launched what would become a new publishing success, Gourmetour, Guía Gastronómica y Turística de España, a publication that offered travellers information on places of interest, restaurants, hotels, taverns, bars and a long etc., as well as geographical and historical information. A reference manual that published its last edition in 2011.
In 1983 the Group embarked on a new adventure with the publication of the Guía Vinos Gourmets, an oenological manual that includes wineries, specialised shops, wine-growing areas and, of course, the best wines of Spain with tasting comments and scores. Pioneering, rigorous and constantly updated, it has reached its 40th edition, this year, as a wine reference for professionals and amateurs. 4,315 wines tasted blind, with their characteristics and prices - of which 2,938 have comments and classifications, 1,270 wineries, 216 specialised shops, individualised maps of all the Denominations of Origin and much more, can be found in the Guía Vinos Gourmets.
For more than nine years, Grupo Gourmets has published more than 200 titles, many of which have been translated into English, French, German and even Japanese, thanks to the sponsorship of major companies, creating an extensive publishing collection aimed at promoting the development of Spanish gastronomy.
A few years later, in 1986, Grupo Gourmets decided to create an exclusive circle for wine and food lovers, the Club Vinos Gourmets y La Alacena. A select club to which more than 6,000 members belong, who receive a monthly selection of unique wines, chosen by the Tasting Committee, and delicatessen products.
The first edition of Salon Gourmets, Fine Food and Beverages Fair, was organised in 1987. The most important gastronomic event dedicated to top-of-the-range products in Europe had 73 exhibitors and 8,000 visitors at its first event, figures that have increased considerably year after year until reaching the current figures.
An event with such potential that it was exported to other countries around the world, such as ExpoGourmets Caribe, held in Puerto Rico and Miami. Expo-Rest, the New Restaurant Show, was also held, where the protagonists were themed restaurants, coffee shops, Quick Service Restaurants and restaurants in airports and stations, among others.
After a long history and with the experience of the years, the 38th edition of the Salon Gourmets will be held in 2025 and is expected to attract more than 100,000 professionals and more than 2,100 exhibitors with over 55,000 products that will fill the six pavilions, or in other words 90,000 m2 of exhibition space, which this edition will have for the first time. In addition to 1,300 activities, 1,500 new products, which translates into € 230 million in turnover, a true gourmet show that continues to grow!