Codorníu () is the oldest and second-largest producer of
Cava, the Spanish
traditional method sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...
. Founded in 1551 near
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, it is one of the oldest companies in Spain and one of the oldest wineries worldwide.
History
The Codorníu family’s wine business goes back to the middle of the 16th century. A document of that period states that the family had several machines and implements relating to the wine industry. In 1659 Anna Codorníu married Miquel Raventós and the families, each with a long wine tradition, were united. Years later, in 1872,
Josep Raventós produced cava for the first time in Spain using the “
traditional method” and established a completely new industry in the
Alt Penedès region. The Codorníu cellars at
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia were built on the orders of Manuel Raventós between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century (1895–1915). He chose the renowned Catalán architect
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Josep Puig i Cadafalch (; 17 October 1867 in Mataró – 21 December 1956 in Barcelona) was a Spanish architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona, and a politician who had a significant role in the development of Catalan regio ...
to design the facility. At that time Codorníu was producing about 100,000 bottles of cava per year, and the size of the new structure seemed overly grandiose. The location of the winery, then some distance from the road and the railway line, was also unusual for the time. Manuel Raventós, however, was insistent that the family winery should be close to the vineyard, as he was aware that such proximity would be the key to improving the quality of the wines. Nowadays, Codorníu continues to control the production process of all its cavas from vineyard planting to finished product. The winery has modern installations and equipment.
Awards and honors
In 1976, the Codorníu cellars at Sant Sadurní d'Anoia were declared a "National Monument of Historical and Artistic Interest" by King
Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...
.
See also
*
Spanish wine
Spanish wine ( or ) includes red wine, red, white wine, white, and sparkling wine, sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely planted wine- ...
*
Cava
*
List of oldest companies
The oldest companies in the world are the brands and companies which remain operating (either in whole or in part) since inception, excluding associations and List of oldest universities in continuous operation, educational, government, or relig ...
Further reading
*Robinson, Jancis (Ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1999.
References
External links
*
Codorníu UK site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Codorniu Winery
1551 establishments in Spain
Spanish brands
Wineries of Spain
Wine brands
Buildings and structures in La Rioja (Spain)