The history of Freixenet dates back to the mid-19th century.

At that time, Francesc Sala

Ferrés set up “La Casa Sala” in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. It was a company specialized in
exporting wines to America. His son, Joan Sala Tubella carried on with the company.
His granddaughter Dolorès Sala married Pedro Ferrer Bosch who came from a family of
winemakers.
Pedro Ferrer spent his childhood in a family “Finca” of the Penedes region named was
called “La Freixeneda” (because of the many ash trees of this place, Freixes in Catalan).
Hence his nickname “Freixenet”.

Due to the philloxera plague and the loss of the Spanish colonies, the activities of the
Casa Sala were paralyzed for some years.
Due to the replantation of all the European vineyards, the couple decided to redirect the
Casa Sala towards the elaboration of sparkling wines in accordance with the traditional
method. Consequently the young couple, together with Dolores’ father, combined
efforts and knowledge and initiated the marketing of its wines under different brands
until 1913 when they chose “FREIXENET” as the brand name for all their products. In
1922, they started to build the cellars where we are. It was a building that already
belonged to the family. In 1928, the company was set up as a Sociedad Anonima
(Corporation).

Pedro Ferrer Bosch and Dolores Sala had 5 children: Pilar, Carmen, Dolores, Joan y
Josep. Pedro Ferrer and his oldest son fell the civil war. The family fell into disgrace,
leaving José Ferrer as the only male of the family. At that time, he was 10 years old. As
a consequence, Dolores Sala, a widow with her four children, took a lot of courage and
initiative and decided to carry on and fight for Freixenet.
Dolores Sala reached her aim with the help of her oldest daughter. In honour of Dolores
Sala, we elaborate a special cava D.S. And we still make it the way she used to make it
in the 40’s. This is a limited production of bottles.
At present, the four children and their grandchildren are members of the board of
directors of Freixenet.
Until the 70’s Freixenet was a small family cellar. From then on Freixenet started its
expansion especially thanks to exports. Despite its expansion Freixenet remains a family
company. It has not turned into a multinational.
From the 80’s, Freixenet has tried to be present in the best wine-making regions of the
world. That’s why the group Freixenet owns cellars in many prestigious regions to
make still and sparkling wines.

As for sparkling wines:

- In Spain, in the Penedès region, the cellars Freixenet elaborate Cava.
- In France, in the Champagne region, the cellars Henri Abelé where we elaborate
the Champagne Henri Abelé.
- In the Sonoma region in California (USA), the cellars Gloria Ferrer where we
elaborate a Sparkling Wine.
- In the Quérétaro region (Mexico), the cellars Sala Vivé where we elaborate a
“Vino Espumoso”.

As for still wines:

- In Tarragona, we have 2 cellars: with origin denomination “Priorat” we have the

“Viticultors del Priorat cellar” where we make our Morlanda and Prior Terrae
and with origin denomination Montsant, we have our “Viñas del Montsant
cellar” where we make the Fra Guerau wine.
- In Milagros (Aranda del Duero), with origin denomination Ribera del Duero, we
have the Valdubón cellar.
- In Galicia, with origin denomination “Rias Baixas”, we elaborate an Albariño”
(which is a typical wine from Galicia) called Vionta.
- In La Guardia (La Rioja), with the origin denomination “Rioja”, we have the
cellar Solar Viejo.
- In France, in the region of Bordeaux, Freixenet has the cellar Yvon Mau.
- In Australia (Coonawarra region), we elaborate the wines Riddoch and
Kathnook, and in Mildura region we elaborate Deakin State wine.
- In Argentine in Mendoza region we elaborate a wine called Viento Sur.

We start the tour in the oldest part of the cellars which was built in the 1920’s by the
architect Joseph Ros I Ros. In this part, we have 4 floors. The last floor is 20 meters
underground where we have a constant temperature of 13 ° C all year round. Then, we
are going to take a train to visit the new parts that were built in the 1970’s and in the
1990’s.

TOUR IN THE NEW SHOW ROOM (FIRST FLOOR ON THE LEFT).

In this new room, I am going to explain the elaboration process of Cava from the soils
to marketing according to the traditional method.

First Stop: earth types or soils

In the Penedès region, there are limestone (or calcareous) soils with different features.
You can see through this window the most representative soils of the Penedès region
(soils and subsoils).
First window: high Penedès: sandy, thick and silty.
Second window: central Penedès (coast): thick, clayey, fine.
Third window: central Penedès (mountains): sandy, thick and fine.
Fourth window: low Penedès: clayey and silty.

Third Stop: Vegetative state.

Here you can see the development of the vineyards during the four seasons.
We take care of the vineyards all year round.
Pruning (or cutting back) in winter is important to restrict and to limit the yield of the
vineyard. We prefer to use grapes of the highest quality to quantity. To achieve this aim,
the grape harvest needs to be manual.

The grape harvest is the end of the cycle. It takes place from the end of August to early
October.

Fourth stop: (Types of grapes)

Here you can see the three most representative types of grapes from the Penedès region:
Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada. The local variations that are used here in our cellars
Their features are:
 1. Macabeo: it’s the native type of grape from the Central Penedès. The most
productive. It provides body and acidity to the wine. Its alcoholic level is
medium. The bunch of grapes are dense and have a triangular form.

2. Xarel·lo: it’s the most Mediterranean type of grape. It’s cultivated next to the
coast. It brings mature grapes of an high quality and an alcoholic level which is
high. It provides body and character. The bunch of grapes is irregular with
golden grapes (mature).

3. Parellada: it’s cultivated in the High Penedès, from an altitude of 300 meters.
Little acidity, low alcoholic level, subtle flavors and delicacy are its
characteristics. The bunch of grapes is dense with a trapezoid shape.

Fifth stop: (The grape harvest)

When the grape gets its optimum level of maturity and the required acidity, we can start
the grape harvest. It starts at the end of August and lasts until the early October
Freixenet is the biggest buyer. It’s one of the cellars that pays the highest price per
Kilogramm, having a total of 1.200 Suppliers.
To make up for it Freixenet is one of the most demanding buyers. We personally control
the quality to get the best grapes.
We work with 1.200 grape suppliers. It represents 7.000 hectares.
The grape harvest needs to be manual. We use little crates that have a maximum
capacity of 25 kilograms. This is the best system to avoid an early fermentation of the
grapes and to get a good quality.
When we receive the grapes in our cellars, we control the quality thanks to a sample of
different crates in order to evaluate the maturing, the alcoholic level that is calculated
through the sugar quantity contained in the grape (17 grams=1 alcoholic degree) and the
acidity.

Sixth stop: (Presses)

A difference has to be made between the hydraulic presses we used in the 1920’s and
the pneumatic presses we use nowadays. You can see it through this picture.
The pneumatic presses are horizontal tanks with 2 mouths (openings) of filling.
Inside, there is an elastic membrane that is inflated and consequently presses the grapes
against the walls of the inside drum, breaking only the skin of the grape.
This pressing system permits to classify the musts according to the level of the pressure.
It is similar to the best old pressing system : the pressing with the feet.
We make a separate pressing depending on the maturing degree of every grape:
Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada. That is why we can elaborate three wines (of each grape).
We call the first must “mosto flor” (flower must) o “primeras” (first must). The best
musts are used to elaborate the best cavas.

Seventh stop: (first fermentation, the transforming from must to wine)

In order to let the sediments fall to the bottom of the tank, the must has to rest for 24
hours. After this clarification, we move the must to the still tanks with a controlled
temperature between 14 and 16 degrees.
During the first fermentation that lasts between 12 and 14 days, the must turns into
wine. The 3 musts turn into 3 wines.
The first fermentation is made through sugars and yeasts, that come from the must
itself. To get the best control of the fermentation, Freixenet elaborates and develops its
own yeasts.

Eighth stop: (tanks, made of stainless steel)

Through this picture, you can see the tanks I have just talked about. In Freixenet, we
have 50 of these tanks like that. Every tank can hold 6 000 hectoliters. Besides, we have
8 tanks that can contain 12 000 hectoliters.

Ninth stop: (Josep Bujan and the blending)

Now, is time when our team of wine experts (or oenologists) play a very important part.
They decide what is called “coupage” or “assemblage”. The English word would be
Blending. That is to say the mixture of 3 different wines (Parellada, Macabeo, Xarel·lo)
to get a base wine. The differences between every grape harvest have to be taken into
account but here in the Penedès region, the climate is mild. As a result, there are no big
variations between every harvest. After the tasting, the wine scientist decides the final
blending (coupage). A percentage of each wine will make up every cava. Through this
picture, you can see the blending of every product we elaborate in Freixenet and the
percentage of every wine.

Explanation about the yeasts:

Freixenet owns a laboratory equipped with the highest technology where the team of
oenologist develops the Freixenet selected yeasts to elaborate a cava of the best
quality.
The yeasts are micro organisms that are found in the grapes. They eat sugar. There are
more than 300 different types of yeast. We have an in-house oenologist team that
studies all of them and reproduces them to obtain our own which offers our product a
more personal character.
The selection of the yeasts in our laboratory has been a major technological advance in
the cava production process.

Tenth stop: (Bottling)

After the first fermentation we have three base wines (Macabeo, Xarel·lo and
Parellada). We have to add an amount of sugar and yeasts. In Freixenet we elaborate our
own yeasts. We introduce the three wines into every bottle depending on the blending,
the sugar and the yeast.

This part of the elaboration is called “bottling”. After the introduction, we close every
bottle with a piece of plastic and a metallic cap (crown cap we use as a provisional cork)

Eleventh stop:
After the bottling, we start the ageing. The bottles must be put in horizontal position.
Before, this process was done manually. In the oldest part of our cellars which was built
in the 1920’s, we still use the manual way because it is too narrow and confined to work
with machines. But in the new parts of the cellars (built in the 1970’s and in the 1990’s),
we use the robotic way to place all the bottles in horizontal position. The ageing of the
bottles can start.
To reach the best ageing, the temperature has to be the same all year round. It does not
change. Furthermore, we have to avoid vibrations or movements and the light has to be
dim. This is the reason why the cellars are built underground.
We always use new bottles. They pass through a quality control. Due to the second
fermentation that takes place inside the bottles, there is a sudden change of pressure. It

To get the origin denomination “cava”, the minimum time of ageing is 9 months.
Depending on the product we want to elaborate. In Freixenet the maximum takes up for
4 years.
The quality of our cavas depends on the time of ageing but also on the quality of the
base wine. Hence the importance to make a different blending for each product. We try
to elaborate cavas of the best quality-price ratio.
Depending on the time of ageing, a distinction needs to be made between reserves and
great reserves (more than 30 months).
Twelfth stop:
The oenologist decides that a cava has had sufficient time of ageing. At the end of the
ageing, the dead yeasts are in the stomach of the bottle in the form of sediments (or
mothers). Now we have to expel them to obtain a clean cava. This picture demonstrates
the steps riddling process. The movements are the following : a vibration, then we give
the bottles an eight of a turn and we incline them more and more. The result of this
process is the of the sediments in the neck of the bottle.
The manual way of riddling requires 21 days. A person can shake between 30 000 and
40 000 a day. I have to say that the manual way has no impact on the quality. It is just a
way to expel the sediments.
Nowadays, we use a robotic process. The machines (giro pallets) more 500 bottles in 90
minutes.

Thirteenth stop
The next step of the elaboration is the disgorgement, when the sediments are in the neck
of the bottle, we freeze the neck through what we call Champagel (water of –25
centigrade degrees). Thanks to this method, we can freeze and catch the sediments but
we freeze also a part of cava. Then, the bottle can be placed in vertical position and
thanks to the pressure due to the second fermentation, the ice (with the sediments)
explodes to clean our cava and expel the dead yeasts.

Fourteenth stop: (Dosage)

The topping up liquor is a mixture of old wine and sugar. We make it in our cellars (in
Freixenet). The recipe of the dosage is a secret.
We must take into account that all the bottles contain cava brut nature after the opening
and expulsion of the sediments. Its quality will be different depending on the blending
of the base wines and on the ageing. It is the driest cava because the sugar added for the
second fermentation has been eaten by the yeasts and have caused bubbles.
Depending on the dosage, we can elaborate various cavas :brut nature, brut, dry,
medium dry and sweet.

Brut nature : between 0 and 6 sugar grams per liters

It is the driest cava. The sugar has not been added but it is the residue of the
fermentation. “We try to be the first and the best for the elaboration of Brut Nature”
(Pedro Bonnet)
Brut: between 0 and 15 sugar grams per litre.
Extra dry: between 12 and 20 sugar grams per litre.
Dry: between 17 and 35 sugar grams per litre.
Medium dry: between 33 and 50 sugar grams per litre.
Sweet: More than 50 sugar grams per litre.

We advise to drink a brut nature or a brut to have a lunch. But it is better to drink a
medium dry or a sweet for the dessert.

Fifteenth stop:
The whole range of the products from Freixenet.
To conclude, you can see the whole range of products we elaborate in our cellars. We
can underline 2 great reserves : our bottle “Reserva Real” and “La Cuvée D.S” which is
a family cava we make to pay homage to Dolores Sala.
The 2 most popular products are Cordon Negro and Carta Nevada.
THIRD STOP: (BARRELS ROOM “CAVA JOAN SALA”)
These barrels are used to age the wine of the dosage (topping up liquor). As a general
rule, the ageing of this wine is between 12 and 24 months. We have
1 500 barrels which can contain 220 liters. They are made of chestnut and oak.
A distinction needs to be made between the barrels called “Bocois”. As you can see,
they are bigger (600 liters) and the wine is older. The ageing can exceed 20 years and
we use it for special liqueurs (great reserves).

CARTA NEVADA:
The bottles you can see are the first bottles of Carta Nevada. They date back to 1963. I
would like to draw your attention on the color and the shape of the bottle at that time.
Our suppliers of bottles have found the best shape so that the bottle can withstand
(pressure resistant glass) the sudden change of pressure produced inside due to the
second fermentation.
Needless to say that we just keep these bottles for the prestige of Freixenet because the
wine is too old to be consumed.

FOURTH STOP : (CAVA DOLORS SALA)

Now we are 8 meters underground. The temperature is between 14 and 18 degrees
(centigrade) and there is a humidity of 80 %. The oldest part of the cellars covers an
area of 20 000 square meters with a capacity to put around
1 500 000 bottles.
As you can see all the bottles are in horizontal position (ageing). Try to keep in mind
that the minimum time of ageing is 9 months. The maximum time is 4 years.
On this floor, you can see old machines we have restored. Long ago, we used them to
make wine.

FIFTH STOP: (DISGORGEMENT ROOM)

SIXTH STOP: (CAVA CARMEN FERRER)

Here you can see all the sizes of the bottles we use for cava. Sparkling wine only can be
sold in bottles with a predefined fill quantity. The fill quantities are standardized
Europe-wide. Authorized are the following fill quantities:
0,2 liter, 0,375 liters, 0,5 liters, 0,75 liters, 1,5 liters, 3 liters, 4,5 liters, 6 liters, 9 liters.
Bottles with a capacity till 20 liters are used only for advertising purposes and for
expositions.

SEVENTH STOP: (RESERVA REAL)

We bottled the first cava “Reserva Real” in 1982. You can see the special shape of the
bottles. We make 150 000 bottles per year. We still use the manual way to elaborate this
product just like 80 years ago. At that time, we did not use a metal cap but a cork during
the ageing.

The first bottle was opened in 1987 due to the visit of the King of Spain Juan Carlos and
Doña Sofia here in Freixenet. The King gave us permission to call this cava “Reserva
Real”.

We can see the first bottles called Reserva Real. We just keep them for the prestige of
the company like a piece of museum. Sometimes, the oenologist opens a bottle to study
the evolution. Now, these bottles contain a wine that is too old to be sold or marketed.

We are going to take a train to visit the parts, which were built in the 1970’s and in the
1990’s. Nowadays, the cellars have a surface area of 115 000 square metres. The
capacity is 125 million bottles. The train will stop in the bottling room. So if you have
any question about what you have seen, I will try to answer.

THE GROUP TAKES THE TRAIN:

- We remind some rules : Please do not touch the bottles and please do not jump
off the train.
- We explain (with the microphone) something about the places we are passing
through (the differences between the three parts, technology, capacities).
- Before stopping we have to say that they should stay seated until the driver
opens the roofs.

BOTTLING (if it is working, we explain before entering)

This is the bottling room. Here we have three separate lines where we bottle all our
cavas. When the three lines are operating, we bottle 40 000 an hour.
When they work 24 hours a day, we reach nearly a million bottles a day.
We always use new bottles. They pass through a quality control before the bottling. We
buy them from suppliers from Barcelona, Vitoria, Gijon and Zaragoza.
In this place, we introduce the base wine, the sugar and the yeasts (mixed with wine).
Then we close the bottle with a piece of plastic (obturator) and a metal cap (with the
date of bottling).

The room is equipped with detectors to avoid failings like a failing of the obturator or a
bad level of wine inside the bottle.
The conveyor belt leads the bottles to the robots. Every robot stacks about 12 000
bottles an hour. They were designed and devised by our technical team. That is why you
can see them only in this cellars.
The full containers of bottles stacked up will be led to the cellars to be put in horizontal
position and to start the ageing.

TASTING ROOM:

We comment something on the cava the visitors are going to taste. We reply to any
questions. Before going to the shop, we say that the opening (inauguration) of the shop
Dolores Ferrer was an honour for us because she is one of the daughters of the founding
couple of Freixenet. She has been and still is an important member of the family.

SHOP DOLORES FERRER

We stay at the shop in case if there are any questions. Than we say good-bye to the
group and indicate the exit.