In the heart of the Penets, in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, about an hour from Barcelona, stands Codorníu, the oldest cellar in Spain and among the most visited in the world. Founded in 1551, this wine institution intertwines over 470 years of history with a breathtaking liberty architecture and a growing commitment for sustainability. At the Vinoforum in Rome, guests of the Spanish tourism body, we had the privilege of tasting the entire Codorníu range, where each sip has told centuries of passion and innovation. Here, between sparkling cava glasses and floral notes, we discovered not only the excellence of an impeccable classic method, but also a profound commitment to increasingly respectful cultivation methods: for some years, all codorníu wines have been biological, a step towards an enology that limits the pesticides to the maximum.
A millennial story: Codorníu’s roots
The codorníu saga is that of a family woven to the vine, an epic that has over 470 years and 18 generations of winemakers. It all started in 1551, when Jaume Codorníu plants the first vineyards on clayey soils of the Penets, ideal for valuable grapes. In 1659, the marriage between Anna Codorníu and Miquel Ravent consolidated a dynasty that will revolutionize Spanish oenology. The turning point came in 1872, when Josep Ravent Fatjó, a visionary heir of the family, creates the first quarry, applying the traditional method, the same used in French champagne. A pioneering act: in an era of philossera Which devastates the European vineyards, Raventós bets on the double fermentation method in the bottle, transforming the wine firm into an elegant and long -lived sparkling. His son Manuel, in 1885, amplifies production, raising codorníu to the undisputed leader of the quarry, with exports that reach the real European buildings.
Today, as a group Raventós Codorníu, the company manages 15 cellars in Spain, but the heart remains in Sant Sadurní, where history is breathed within the ancient walls. It is a living heritage, a symbol of resilience: from the phyllosseric crises that have scourged the vineyards, to civil wars, Codorníu has always innovated without betraying the roots, producing over 100,000 bottles per year already in the early 1900s.
Liberty architecture: a jewel of Catalan modernism in the service of wine
Walking through the cellars Codorníu is like entering a modernist dream very similar to those who made Antonie Gaudì famous all over the world. But to design this jewel of liberty architecture was Josep Puig I Cadafalch, one of the masters of the Catalan Modernisme who, such as the European Art Nouveau, celebrates organic curves, wrought iron and floral decorations inspired by nature. It is to him that the family entrusts the project in 1895 and it is he who completes the construction in 1915 by transforming the cellars into the cellars into a monumental complex: sinuous facades adorned with plant motifs, soaring towers such as revisited Gothic spiers and lush gardens that frame the buildings.
The result? An “outdoor museum” declared national historical-artistic monument in 1976 for its cultural value, where functionality merges with poetry: the basement, long dark galleries for the aging, open up on bright facades that symbolize the alliance between earth and sky. It is not only architecture, it is a tribute to the vine: the sinuous shapes evoke bunches and branches, while the modernist gardens – known as “modernist forest” – offer spaces for celebrations immersed in history.
The classic method: the sparkling soul of the cava codorníu
At the center of each codorníu bottle pulsates the classic or traditional method, an alchemical ritual inherited from 1872 and perfected over the centuries. This process, identical to that of champagne, provides for a double fermentation: the first in steel tanks to obtain basic wine, the second in the bottle, where selected yeasts generate fine and persistent bubbles. The grapes-mainly Xarel·lo, Macabeo and Parellada, with touches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the Premium Cuvée-come from own vineyards, on clayey soils between 200 and 500 meters above sea level.
The secret? A maniacal control: gentle pressure to preserve the aromas, expert assemblage to balance acidity and fruity, and aging on the yeasts for at least 9-15 months (until years for reserves). The result are Versatile Cava: from the fresh codorníu Cuvée Original Brut, the most accessible to the Ars Collecta Prestige passing through the non plus ultra brut reserve, each wine has revealed a complexity that invites to toast to tradition.
Biological wines: the future green of Codorníu
Since 2020, Codorníu has embarked on a transition to organic viticulture, completed in 2024 with 100% organic certification for all its wines, including the non -Plus Ultra Brut Reserva (Eco and Nop certified). With 1,400 hectares of bio vineyards, Codorníu is today the largest biological quarry manufacturer in the world. This commitment joins the B Corp certification obtained in 2025, which recognizes sustainable practices such as the protection of biodiversity and the reduction of emissions also because a wine that respects the earth is a wine that looks to the future.
And Codorníu is precisely this: a journey between past and future: it is a cellar that tells Spain through refined bubbles, dreamlike architecture and a green commitment that inspires. An experience that transcends taste: it is history, art and sustainability in a sip. Salud!
To organize a visit: www.codorniu.com/visitanos/nuestras-visitas
