Every day is a special day

Bruno Colomer is head winemaker at Spain's Raventós Codorniú. In 2021, he was named Best Sparkling Winemaker at the Bacchus Awards. His cavas also won awards. 'We have achieved a lot in recent years, but there is still a lot to do.'

Bruno Colomer Martí grew up in Sant Cugat del Vallès, a Catalan town about 10 kilometres from Barcelona. His father was in the textile business; it had been that way for generations. Wine played no role in the family. Yes, on special occasions some was opened. 'But it wasn't good,' laughs Bruno. He was the first in the family to start a career in wine.

STUDY IN FRANCE

He learned the trade from Juan José Castro, then cellar master at Codorníu. That Bruno would later succeed him was something both could not have imagined at first. 'Thirty years ago, you couldn't study oenology in Spain. So there was also no other way to learn it than from experienced winemakers. Fortunately, I had a good teacher. Now you can just study oenology in Barcelona.' So it happened that after studying agricultural engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Bruno had to go to Dijon, France to continue his studies. He successfully completed his studies and received his Diplôme National d'Oenologue. He then went on to work as an oenologist and technical director at several wineries in the Penedès, the birthplace of cava.

PIONEER IN CAVA MAKING

In 2008, it was time for Juan José Castro to retire. You don't have to guess who they then asked to follow in his footsteps. 'I've been working at Codorníu for 16 years now and I'm still very happy with that.' Codorníu is a pioneer in the contemporary way of making cava. Founded in 1551, it is among the oldest wine companies in Spain. It was also the first in the country to make sparkling wine according to the traditional method, using local grape varieties. Over 30 million bottles roll off the conveyor belt every year and the 2,500 hectares of their own vineyards still only supply half of all the grapes needed. They buy the rest from local grape growers.

Further reading? You will find more information in WINELIFE Magazine, issue 86. You can order this one here. 

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