Eudald Massana – Interview With Oriol Massana

The love of sparkling wine is infinite, a language that everyone can understand, a sparkle that can shine in anyone’s glass, it can connect people, brings them together and places a smile on faces around the world.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Oriol Massana, one of the family and owners of Eudald Massana, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his favourite Champagne memories.

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

“I’m the 10th generation of the Massana’s family in this 30 hectares estate in the heart of Penedès. I’m trained in business management, sustainable business and sommelier for the WSET, and experience, which I consider is very important. I was introduced to the wine business at an early age… since I was born I lived in the estate, surrounded by vineyards and spending time walking between barrels and wine bottles. That’s why I think experience is a big part of my knowledge about wine culture. At my parents, wine was always a main subject during meals, we talked about the sector, the wine we were tasting or the conditions for the next harvest.

I should confess that at some point I thought about not being part of the family business, and this mindset brought me to discover the world, different sectors and business models that trained me in a lot of ways, and today I’m able to use all this knowledge for our winery and business. I think getting perspective is something mandatory nowadays for the success of a wine business.”

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

“I cannot remember my first experience with sparkling wine to be honest, because as I said, I started to taste wine when I was very young, at that time not allowed to drink it, just tasted it and spit it out.

But I remember one trip to Champagne in 1999 with my parents when I was 7 years old. We went there for the 1999 solar eclipse in that area of France, and we visited some wineries and of course, I remember tasting some Champagne.

I remember also in 1999, tasting a new vintage of Mil·lenni, a sparkling wine from our estate made of Xarel·lo and Chardonnay varieties, and aged for 48 months in the bottles. Launched in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium, it’s a moment with sparkling that I remember well, the opportunity to taste something that has not been in the market yet, and that it hasn’t been tasted before, it’s unique.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Managing Your Own Winery?

“The first thing that’s mandatory for managing a winery is that you need to love what you do because managing your own winery it’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle. It’s demanding but at the same time rewarding. It’s beautiful to create something that is loved by a lot of people from the land you own and from the plants you take care of. To see that after all the time needed to produce our unique Cavas from an estate that’s been in my family for all those years, there’s a recognition that they are sold all over it’s a great experience.

Managing our own winery it’s also a responsibility in two ways; the first one is to preserve the land and the biodiversity that lives on the estate, and also grow and keep the project for the next generation because we see Eudald Massana winery & estate as something that’s part of our soul and it must be kept in the family for the next generations.”

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

“Sparkling and Cavas are something that could be paired with a big spectrum of food. Seafood, for its salty taste it’s a great match, but all fatty meals are also a good option, the acidity that a great Cava Brut Nature, like ARMILAR, one of our reserves, is great to cleanse your mouth after a fatty meat cooked in the oven for example. And of course, don’t forget about the most typical occasions for a glass of sparkling, at the beginning of an event as an aperitif, something rosé, like EUDALD rosé or for dessert, which I prefer to pair with a non-dosage Cava. INNAT for example, a non-sulphite Cava produced under a classic blend.

But after all, everyone has a unique taste, so for me, there’s not a right or wrong answer about pairing, each person should find and discover the best match for themselves.”

If You Could Choose A Person In The World, Past Or Present, To Have A Glass of Bubbly With; Who Would It Be And Why? What Would You Drink And Why? What Would You Discuss And Why?

“I don’t believe there’s only one person that I could choose to share a glass of sparkling. The variety is where the spice of life is, that’s why it’s impossible to answer this question with a name, it depends on the moment and the mood, and the same with what we would discuss.

It happens kind of the same with the wines, it’s difficult to choose… but I’ll say a bottle of ARMILAR Reserva Brut Nature again, I really enjoy this wine by the glass.”

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

“You can enjoy a glass of Eudald Massana in many parts of the world, from a New York restaurant to a nice restaurant on the 30th floor in Tokyo. Also in Europe, in Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Hungary, France, Estonia, Sweden and more.

It’s nice when I’m far from home traveling and I can find a bottle of Eudald at some restaurant or shop far from our estate, and it’s even better if it’s possible to share with local people. When I’m travelling for promotions to other countries, each country has something special and it’s a unique experience to be able to explain our project to people that are enjoying our wines. I made good friends this way and shared amazing conversations and experiences with a bottle of Eudald.”

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

“Sustainability and uniqueness is what the enthusiasts of Eudald Massana will find in the coming years. We’re working on different projects to increase the levels of sustainability to the top. Even now the winery works with solar energy, the estate has been under organic farming for more than 24 years, and we are now focused on launching the first zero carbon wine. This is one of the goals, and the other one is to keep working the same way in our estate controlling all the processes and bringing unique products, with the essence of our estate and terroir to the market.”

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

“There’s a lot, maybe I’ll say my birthday lunch just after the lockdown for the Covid pandemic when I invited my friends and family to the estate and everybody brought the energy they’ve been keeping in them all those months at home. It was memorable. You can imagine how the situation went, of course, there was oceans of sparkling wine.”

Thank you Oriol, 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 Eudald Massana. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.