Can Sala – Interview With José Maria Ferrer

One of the biggest regions in the world of sparkling wine, Cava stands as its own style of bubbly, from the historic country of Spain, with so many brilliant producers utilising tradition and innovating for the future, there’s a lot to explore, Glass of Bubbly is on a mission to highlight this wonderful region and some of the incredible minds producing Cava today.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with José Maria Ferrer, the Owner of Can Sala, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his most memorable Cava memories.

It’s Great To Speak With You, José, Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & How Your Incredible Journey Into The Wine Industry Began?

“Thanks for having me, Oliver. It’s a pleasure to talk to you.

I should say that I was born and grew up between bottles. My family has been making wines since 1861 and we used to live in the winery. There I grew up with my siblings and our playgrounds were the vineyard, the winery and the cellars. A dream for any kid.

Later when I was 18 I began working in the family business. And this journey took me to California, Australia and of course, Spain where I had the opportunity to live with my family. Always making and selling wines. Now I’m 60 and still excited to make the first steps for our new wine project: Ferrer Family Wines”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When It Was And What Kind Of Label It Was?

“That’s a difficult question because I wasn’t even aware … It was a tradition in the Cava region to dip the babies’s pacifier in Cava. This is something that nowadays we can’t believe was done and we would never do today. Other than that I remember with my dad in the cellar tasting the different wines just after fermentation as he explained to me the differences and characteristics of the different varietals.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Managing Your Own Winery?

“It’s great! As we are a very small winery aiming for quality and distinctive wines we can experiment and try new ideas which makes things very exciting and fun. At the same time, it’s very challenging to compete with other brands that have been around for many years. We must position ourselves and try to make things better, more interesting and exciting for our customers and the best part of all comes when you notice that people love what they are tasting, and how they react to the first sip. Our success is to make people happy.”

When It Comes To Pairing Your Sparkling Wine With Food, Do You Have Any Favourite Combinations That You Would Personally Recommend?

“Actually, I believe Sparkling Wine goes better with more food than any other wine. But I have to choose I would go with Cava and Ibérico jamón or being bolder, long aged Cava with curry.”

Can You Share With Us Some Of The Countries And Locations Around The World That You Can Enjoy A Glass Of Can Sala?

“We are doing very well in Asia, You can enjoy a glass of Can Sala in many countries there; Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia …

In Europe, we are beginning to develop a few markets like Sweden, Norway and Finland.

And I’m, very happy with the opportunity to begin selling in the UK, probably the most challenging and difficult market for sparkling wine but the place where you need and want to be.”

What Future Plans Can Enthusiasts Of Can Sala Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“Plenty of things coming up. Can Sala will be fully organic by 2025, In order to keep our compromise of excellence and produce only long-aged Cavas (minimum 10 years for Can Sala) we have to expand the winery. We are going to rebuild a beautiful old cellar room dating from 1895. And 2025 will mark the 130 anniversary of Can Sala winery. We are working on a very special celebration; with Cava of course.”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Bubbly?

“I have plenty of great moments with Cava. Normally the special experiences have to be with the people you are enjoying the sparkling wine with, Although I have a unique and memorable moment, this is when I got engaged to my wife with a glass of Cava. She was 19 and not used to drinking Cava so it was easy for me to impress her with a glass of Can Sala, I’m not sure if she fell for me or for the Cava!”

Thank you José, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to José Maria Ferrer. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.