Freixenet

Over 150 years ago, in the small Catalan town of Sant Sadurní d´Anoia the Sala family began making and exporting quality wines. At the beginning of the 20th century Dolores Sala married Pedro Ferrer Bosch, and that union was the beginning of a successful enterprise. Shortly there after, Freixenet, which was Pedro Ferrer´s nickname as the youngest son of the owners of “La Freixeneda” wine-growing estate, began to export sparkling wine, later to be denominated cava. The couple formed an unrivalled team: Dolores, ahead of her time in detailed winemaking knowledge; and Pedro, a bright and lively entrepreneur. Together they succeeded in gaining popularity and a reputation for their sparkling wines.

Today Freixenet is run by Pedro and Dolores´ children and grandchildren, and the company continues to keep its family character and focus on high quality despite the huge growth the company has experienced from its humble beginnings in Sant Sadurní to becoming the Number 1 Sparkling Wine in the World.

Freixenet’s vineyards are planted to take advantage of the full range of terroir and climate in the Penedès region of Catalonia, the area where most of Spain’s cavas are made. From the dry, cool mountains of the north, to the humid and warm coastal areas to the south, our vineyards bear the fruit of many varieties of Vitis vinifera. In addition to cultivating our own expansive vineyards, Freixenet also maintains exclusive relationships with vine growers throughout the region.

From the Parellada and Macabeo grapes of the cooler, higher regions, to the Xarel-lo and Trepat grapes that thrive in the warm coastal zone, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in between, Freixenet wines reflect the excellent chalky soils and prime growing conditions that shape the character of each bottle.

Freixenet winemaker Josep Bujan gives his all to the wines, blending technology, tradition and a deep understanding of the Penedès terroir. One of Spain’s premier enologists, Josep is active and connected in the international wine industry, and mentors a number of young winemakers. His work draws from deep winemaking heritage reaching back to the original yeast strains developed by Dolores Ferrer, many of which are still in use today.

Our cavas have benefited from his knowledge for more than three decades, making Josep an integral part of the Freixenet family and the success of Freixenet wines. His commitment to quality and consistency, whether for our most popular wines or our limited-production cuvées, has enabled Freixenet to become the world’s leading cava producer.

- See more at: http://www.freixenetusa.com/about/the-winemaker#sthash.itJAvFct.dpuf

The roots of Freixenet run deep, entwined in the Penedès region of northeast Spain and in the history of two of its most prominent wine families.

16th Century – The Ferrer family establishes La Freixeneda, a winegrowing estate in the Penedès.

Mid 19th Century – Francesc Sala marries Josepa Tubella and they settle in her hometown of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, also in the Penedès. He converts his father in law’s barrel-making business into a wine distributor, eventually exporting wines all over the world under the name Casa Sala.

Early 20th Century – The youngest son of the Ferrer family, Pedro, marries the only daughter of the Sala family, Dolores, forever uniting two respected wine lineages. Seeing a unique opportunity in sparkling wines, which were not common in Spain at that time, Pedro and Dolores release their first cava in 1914 under the Freixenet label.

Early 1930s – Pedro travels to the United States in search of land to build a winery. He establishes an office in New Jersey but, on returning to Spain, he loses his life in the Spanish Civil War, leaving his wife and children to run the winery.

1940s – Dolores continues to build the business in the tough post-war era, launching Carta Nevada in 1941. The unique frosted golden bottle goes on to become one of Freixenet’s most popular cavas.

1950s – Dolores’ youngest son, José Ferrer, takes the reins of the family business with the goal of realizing his parents’ dreams of introducing Freixenet to the world.

1970s – Following the Casa Sala tradition, the family ships the first bottles of Freixenet to the United States. José Ferrer, with a keen intuition, introduces Freixenet Cordon Negro in 1974, a new cava bottled in a radically distinctive dark frosted bottle, which would become known as the “Black Bottle Bubbly”.

1980s – Through the constant efforts of José Ferrer and his sons and nephews, Freixenet becomes the world leader in sparkling wine produced in the traditional method.

Today – A century since Freixenet released its first cava in 1914 the company remains 100% family owned, with the fourth generation now entering the business, ready to celebrate 100 years and many more to come.