Winery "Eudald Massana Noya", Penedès region, Spain

The Penedès is situated in a privileged territory halfway between Barcelona and Tarragona, between the sea and the mountains. The Penedès landscape is warm and harmonious, full of Mediterranean light, where, depending on where you are, you can see the sea, the Pyrenees or the Montserrat mountain range. This harmony would not be complete without its defining feature: the vineyards. Winegrowing in this part of the world has become the art of working and shaping the land; an art which has been passed down from generation to generation. The care with which the vineyards are treated is complemented by the traditional methods used in the still and sparkling wine-making processes. Although traditional and careful methods are used both in the vineyard and the cellar, modern innovations are also incorporated so that we can progress without losing our essence. The different types of soil, grape varieties and the art of working the land are what make the Penedès a territory with its own identity; one that is is firmly rooted in winegrowing but which is also complemented by its culture and heritage.

Interview with Oriol Massana, Chief Operating Officer of Eudald Massana Noya Winery

1 - Why is your vineyard called “Eudald MassanaNoya"?

The winery’s name comes from the name of the current owner, Eudald Massana Noya. Despite the fact that the Massana family has been working on the estate for 9 generations, it is Eudald Massana Noya, the 9thgeneration, who made the biggest changes. He wanted to focus on elaborating quality wines, based on the organic and biodynamic farming philosophy, hence using only grapes from the estate. This enables us to control the entire process, from the growing of grapes to the sales of the bottles.

2 - Please tell us a little about yourself..

I’m Oriol Massana, the 10th generation of the Massana family related to the winery. I was born in the summer of 1992,during the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games. I grew up on the estate with my family and I lived in the heart of the Penedès Wine Region all my life, spending several periods of time abroad for learning and improving my skills. It rained in Marketing and Market Research, with mention on Digital and Sustainable Business and I hold a master in Business Administration and Management. At the same time, I was working in the cellar and learning about the wine industry. I graduated from WSET Level 2 in 2017, but the truth is that living on the estate and working in the winery is where I learnt most of the things around the wine business. I am actually the COO of the Eudald Massana Winery after having held different positions in the company.

3 - At present, you export 40% of everything produced to the United States, Japan, China, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

What kind of wine do you export to Italy?

We have, for several years now, focused the exportation of part of our production worldwide. When we start working with an importer, we look for a partner who understands our philosophy and believes in our wines and can take care of them in the different markets. Hence we develop a relationship that goes further than the simple commercial relations. This enables us to work with the same partners over long periods of times. For in stance, our first foreign market was Japan, and up this date, we still have the same importer. They come to visit us at the winery when possible. We are delighted to have this kind of trustworthy and professional relationship with all the importers we work with. Focusing on Italy, we have been exporting our Cava Eudald Brut Nature for many years and now we have added other products from our sparkling wine range. Taking in consideration the culture in wines displayed by the Italians, we know they look for different kind of products and their interest in organic Cavas will increase in the coming years.

4 - Do you have any awards that you are proud of?

Our white wines (both young and Reserva) have been awarded different medals and diplomas over the years. We won a bronze medal for our white CEPELL wine, in the category “best young wines in the Penedès wine region” and we won the gold medal for AVI TON in the star category “Xarel.lo Wines in the Penedes wine region”. We also won other awards but these two standout based on their legitimation. We have a few awards even though we didn’t submit the wines ourselves at the tastings. I believe that in the world there are a lot of different kind of wines and sometimes the people who select them and award the prizes are those who have been tasting wines for years, and they look for a specific kind of wine. I think we can’t say that when a wine wins a gold or a bronze medal the wine is better than another wine, keeping always the minimum level of quality.

5- Does proximity to such a metropolis as Barcelona affect your activities?

Being close to Barcelona City, it is obvious that we are affected in a very positive way. At the winery, we have always believed in sustainable and local business. Our proximity with Barcelona enables us to create a win-win situation: the city can offer a wider range of activities and at the same time, the local businesses can benefit from the influx of tourists. The Penedès is one of the closest wine region to Barcelona. So, of course, the city’s influence is important for us. We are close to the city but far enough at the same time. Thanks to the good transport connections with Barcelona, the Wine Tourist can easily reach the winery for a day-trip out the city, enjoying the countryside, walking or cycling amongst the vineyards, discovering the local gastronomy and enjoying our wines at the winery. Each year, thousands of visitors from all over the world visit our winery and discover our wines, and then they can bring it home, order in our online shop, or look for their closest wine shop selling our wines. The idea is to spread wine culture around the world from the winery and the wine region.

6 - Your wines are not in Lithuania. But I liked the modern shape, the design of your bottles: the color of the labels, which "takes into account" the color of the wine itself, the laconic inscription, for example, "EUDALD" or "AVI TON 2018"...

Which of 16 wines is your favorite (and why)?

It’s difficult to choose only one favorite wine because I enjoy each one of them at different occasions. However, if I had to select only one, I would choose the white wine Avi Ton. It is made from a single vineyard planted in 1945 with the characteristics of a mineral soil, from the Xarel.lo grape which is the iconic grape from the Penedes; this wine represents all the essence of one variety, one region, and the history of the Massana family, it’s tradition, passion and legacy. But, I also really like the Eudald Cava Rosé, 100%Pinot Noir, from our youngest vineyard. It is where we have part of our sustainable project of untreated wooden poles that we use on each row of vines. The idea is to reduce any type of soil contamination and negative visual impact and therefore be one step ahead of the organic farming regulations.

7 - If it's not a secret, share your plans for the future

It’s not a secret that we want our wines to reach more people worldwide so they can enjoy them as we do, and we want to do it keeping the same philosophy that we have in the winery; producing organic and biodynamic wines without losing the sustainable growth’s philosophy and taking care of our estate and environment. Increase in sustainability in the wine industry is an important matter for preserving the vineyards and the way we live. Because of this, for me personally as the 10th generation in the winery, innovation in sustainability in the wine industry in one of the goals that I have and that we’re getting closer every day.

8 - List, if possible, a set (gift box) of three or four of your own wines(red and white), which, in your opinion, can decorate the "poster" of your farm.

9 - You can offer the most beautiful view of the vineyards or the surrounding landscape. May I ask you to take one or two photos of your favourite places (if possible with an undersized vine)?

10- What is your choice for "Yellow Road"?

As I commented earlier, I’ll chose our Avi Ton, the current vintage is 2018 but we also have the vintages 2015 and 2013 for sale only in the official online shop of the cellar or by sending us an email at the winery at bodega@massananoya.com

11- What white wine producer (from Spain or another country) would you recommend for Yellow Road?

I would recommend: “Winery: Guado al Melo – Wine: Chriseo” I’ve never been to the winery but I had the opportunity to taste the Chriseo wine during a trip to Italy. I was in Firenze for holidays and I really enjoyed tasting the wine whilst having dinner in are staurant with views at the Ponte Vecchio. This wine brings me back at that exact moment. It’s difficult to find it in other region or country because it is a very low production wine. The way that they produce it is no usual and the number of varieties in it is not common either. It’s a white wine that I tasted a few years ago and I still remember how it tasted. I hope to visit them in the future.

12 - You have an extensive and wonderful wine tourism program. And it probably has its own cultural program. I wonder how you will react to such an offer.

It’s about creating a new workplace (most probably on a volunteer basis) of a VINEYARD KEEPER.

Why don't you try to restore small houses in the vineyards, so that lovers of nature, peace and sun could spend a month or two there. First of all, I think about people in creative professions: blogger, writer, artist, sculptor...

The work of the VINEYARD KEEPER is to create a new product for you (on a different marketing platform): blog, book + presentation, paintings +exhibition, sculpture + installation of the sculpture in the vineyard (or using it for marketing purposes). For my part, as the author of the "Yellow Road", I am ready to offer full informational support (during the preparation and creation of the object, and during its further work).

Our wine tourism program offers a catalogue of experiences but we always focus on personalizing the visits, events, tastings and each experience that we offer. We can personalize each experience to each costumer thanks to our professional team, they know how to ask and understand what the customer expects when they come to the winery and much more. We are thinking and working on new wine tourism projects, maybe the hospitality will be one of the options that the winery will offer in the near future.