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How and when did you start in the world of wine?
It was on 2002 when I founded my own cellar, Artcava, a different project, born and focused on wine tourism. Since then, I’ve been involved with employers' organization and I was manager at INNOVI (Catalan cluster of wine sector Innovation). Currently, I’m sitting on the fence: wine and tourism.
Could you please share an anecdote?
In 2003, early in my wine cellar, we were in the regional papers, as ours was a different product. The headlines said: “Artcava is born, the first winery where you can make your own cava.” The most classicist sector of cava denounced and threatened us, because we explain the people the secrets of cava. They augured us few years of life, and here we are in 2012, with a unique project, renowned in the region and a reference within wine tourism.
How do you understand the world of wine?
On one hand, it is very complex, classicist in many ways, with lack of business training, and few strategic and community vision. Wines are produced as the oenologist wishes, not the market; the consumer needs are not listened. However, we are not a flawed, nor a speculator sector, what has helped to maintain the sector that has not suffered too much in the current situation. I don’t understand the world of wine without tourism. Wine tourism is already part of the wine world, and it is a great opportunity, sustainable, social, allowing to foster customer loyalty, attract new ones, make yourself known, well, to bring wine closer to the consumer.
In your opinion, which are the new markets to be explored?
First you have to explore and exploit the whole internal market, where there is still much to do. Then, there are markets like Middle East, Central and Southern Africa, and especially the U.S. market. But it is no use to explore new markets, unless we know how to position our wines and cavas.
 
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