peoplehavechanged, so thewine
needs tochange, too,” she says.
In the cool of the vineyard’swine
“library”, we taste thewhitewine
Raimat will beproviding the airline.
Designed tobe fresh and aromatic,
Figueras explains how theChardonnay
also features SauvignonBlanc to fill out
the
flavour, plus a touchof Albariño
for creaminess.
The final stop is to theheadoffice,
Codorníu, which is based in the vine-
deckedhillsides of Sant Sadurní, a
short drive fromBarcelona. Codorníu
is celebrated around theworld for its
cava– its AnnadeCordoníu range is
themarket leader in Spain– and its
1551 cava is servedonNorwegian.
Founded in 1551, Codorníu is the
oldest family business in Spain and
nowowns 11wineries. Following a tour
of its stunningpremises –dubbed the
“Cathedral of Cava” –we also get a
peekofCordoníu’smicrowinery,where
headwinemaker BrunoColomerMartí
can try new grapecombinationswith
his five-strong team, which includes
fourwomen.
Amongother experiments, they’re
tryingout concrete tanks here for
theCuvéeBarcelona to give thecava
morebody (a stainless-steel tank
gives a fruity character). “The first
time I presented theconcrete tank in
London, they said, ‘Bruno you are
loco
[crazy].’ But theywereused30 years
ago, so it’s reallymore traditional,”
saysColomer, who learnedhis trade in
Burgundy andChampagne.
A keen gospel singer, Colomer is
also apassionatechef. “Wecookwine
every day, soon theweekend I cook
different things,” he says.Whilehe
allows his grown-upchildrenCoke
in theday, hemakes sure they drink
winewithdinner. “They have to finish
the glass,” he insists. “Wine is culture,
after all.”
codorniuraventos.com
Norwegianflies toBarcelonaandBilbao.
Bookflights,ahotelandarental carat
norwegian.com
“Theweatherhaschanged, peoplehavechanged, so thewine
needs tochange, too”
Codorníu’s
massivewine
cellars inSant
Sadurní
The three
wineries
Bodegas
Bilbaínas
Thewinerywas founded
inHaro, in thenorth
of LaRioja, in 1859by
Frenchwinemakers
escapingplant disease
backhome. It has the
largest vineyard in
Haro and thebiggest
undergroundcellars, at
3,400m
2
.
bodegas
bilbainas.com
Codorníu
In 1895Manuel
Raventós commissioned
Modernista architect
JosepPuig i Cadafalch, a
contemporaryofGaudí,
todesignCodorníu’s
mainbuilding inSant
Sadurní, nearBarcelona.
More than30kmof
tunnelshouse thewines,
which you tour on a little
train.
codorniu.com
Raimat
Raimat’sbeautiful, old
winery (
above
)was
designed in 1918by
architect JoanRubió
i Bellver, adiscipleof
Gaudí. Thefirst building
inSpain tobemade from
reinforcedconcrete, it
keeps a low temperature
for fermentation.
raimat.com
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