The recommendation of a wine from outside the Balearic Islands in the middle of the Christmas holidays by the first vice-president of the Government and Minister of Economy, Finance and Innovation, Antoni Costa, has opened a bitter controversy with the primary sector. The Unió de Pagesos de Mallorca has publicly reproached the regional leader for betting on a Ribera del Duero as wine for these celebrations.
The agrarian organization refers to an interview given by Costa last Tuesday, in which he said that this would be the wine of choice for Christmas. In a subsequent statement, the farmers expressed their “deep disappointment and indignation” at statements that, in their view, ignore the quality and value of Balearic wine production.
From the Unió de Pagesos consider “unacceptable” that the head of the economic policy of the community “turns his back on the primary sector at the time of highest consumption of the year”. “It is a lack of respect for the hundreds of families who work the land in Formentera, Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca,” said its coordinator, Joan Gaià, who recalled that one of the responsibilities of the vice president is to “protect and promote the economic fabric itself.”
These will be the wines that will be on my table today at night and tomorrow at midday.
Si es comet un error, es rectifica i es demana disculpes!!!!! #VidelaTerradEivissa #ViPagès #EivissaSempre #BonNadal pic.twitter.com/Ov7oZzbsA5
– Toni Costa (@a_costacosta) December 24, 2025
Gaià also resorted to international and regional examples to underline the seriousness of the statements. In his opinion, if a French minister were to recommend a foreign wine for Christmas “he would have to resign the next day“, just as it would be inconceivable for the president of Castilla y León to toast with an Ibizan wine in an official act.
“The vice president should be the first ambassador of the local product,” insisted the coordinator of the Unió de Pagesos, who added that wine producers “contribute with their taxes to pay his salary.” In a particularly critical tone, Gaià wished that Santa Claus or the Three Kings “bring him the good taste and the necessary sensitivity to value the great task of our producers” and that “he puts aside the gastronomic cuñadismo when he speaks as vice-president”.
The organization recalled that the wine sector in the Balearic Islands is a benchmark of quality, with protected designations of origin and geographical indications that receive international recognition. Therefore, they consider that recommending products from outside is not only a “communicative blunder“, but also a “direct attack on food sovereignty and sustainability of the landscape“.
Faced with this situation, the Unió de Pagesos asked the Government to rectify and demonstrate its commitment to the local product beyond gestures and encouraged citizens to fill their tables with wines from the archipelago during this holiday season.
Costa rectifies and toasts with Ibiza wines
Shortly after the statement, Antoni Costa responded publicly through his account on the social network X, where he posted an image of three bottles of Ibiza wine. “These will be the wines on my table tonight and tomorrow at noon. If a mistake is made, it will be rectified and apologies will be made. “The vice-president wrote, settling the controversy with a toast of local etiquette.
