Francesc Colomer: "I don't expect to make a great wine, but rather a wine of our own, to take to someone's house and say, 'We made this one.'"

After winning the Goya for Best New Actor in 2011 for his performance in Black bread, Francesc Colomer (Vic, 1997) has combined his acting career – in films such as Living is easy with your eyes closed, The vampire of Barcelona, Beach House and series like Vintage– with a more earthly passion: the family vineyard.

We've heard that you have vineyards.

— I'm from Sant Vicenç de Torelló, in Osona, where almost all cultivation is now dryland and vineyards are rare, although some farms have recently started planting again. Next to our house, there were some fields called "the vineyard fields" because they were once cultivated. My father wanted to revive some of that tradition. Five or six years ago, he was excited to plant vines, five or six different varieties, both white and red. We do everything ourselves, trial and error: we try, learn, and improve.

What kinds of things have you learned to do?

— Everything: how to plant them, how to protect them, how to apply copper and sulfur... One year we didn't do it on time and it harmed our harvest. Now we're more routine. We've also harvested and pressed the grapes; in the early years, I did it myself with my feet. Now we have a press, a destemmer, and a tank, and we take it more seriously. This year we hope it will be better, because we have more experience and the vines have grown.

How has it gone in other years?

— We've only made a few liters, but it's already exciting because it's yours, and you've taken care of it and watched it grow. In the end, whether it's good or bad, you feel it's good because you love it. One year we had a low alcohol content because we harvested it early; it was almost a must. But I don't expect to make a great wine, but rather a wine of our own, to take to someone's house and say, "We made this one."

How would you like that wine to be, ideally?

— Full-bodied, yet smooth, it goes down well and leaves a good taste, and you can tell it's been made with love.

Can you imagine it with a label?

— The first year we made the first bottles coincided with the birth of my niece. At Christmas, we took a bottle and my mom, who loves to paint, drew a picture. I asked ChatGPT to write me an epic caption for the label.

You also participated in an initiative called Vendimia de Cine.

— Years ago, I had a representative associated with Torres Wineries. She organized Jean Leon's grape harvest. I'm very grateful to her: she taught me a little about the world of wine, and about the vineyard, and I got to spend time with people involved in film, harvesting grapes and sharing experiences. There was also a competition, because we were divided into two groups, and we had to tread as many grapes as possible. It was a beautiful day.

Do you have any recommendations?

— I recently opened a Mas La Plana from the Torres family, which this representative gave me. I remember tasting the wine and noticing the difference from the wine I'm used to drinking.

You've worked in a not-so-sophisticated part of alcohol. Friends of Beach House (2023) They don't exactly drink delicate wine. Which style of drinking do you identify with most?

— I think it's a process. When I was younger, I did the typical drinking thing for the main holiday, in a situation where the goal wasn't to enjoy the taste of the drink, but to lose some control. Now I prefer to enjoy occasions to drink a good wine, not drink for the sake of drinking.

Do you have a tradition of drinking wine together with friends?

— There's always a bottle of wine on the table. We probably drink less now, but we try to be more selective. It's something we share. And some people understand quite well.

If we gave you the wine list to choose from, would you choose from it or give it to your friend?

— To my friend [laughs]. There are people who have a great memory and remember the name of the wine they drank somewhere and it's very good for this reason or that. Not me, I don't have that part. Maybe I'm more of a local person.

Do you like cava?

— I associate it a lot with Christmas, with finishing a meal and toasting with a glass because you're with family and friends. But it's something I associate more with traditions.

And is this a tradition that you will continue in the future?

— Yes. I like to maintain the traditions I've seen in my home. I'm happy with what I've experienced and what I've seen, and I want to continue maintaining these ways of doing things.

Many scenes of Vintage (2024) They take place in a cocktail bar. Have you ever been interested in this world?

— Yes, but I'd say not that much. I'm more interested in the world of wineries.

In the series, you play a character who enters the workforce at 28. What was it like playing Teo, since you started working so young?

— I've always tried to find a job and work. I've never liked sitting at home waiting for things to happen. But I can understand what has happened to many young people. We've been sold the idea that if you had the great race, that if you took a thousand master's degrees and courses, you'd have an easy life, and we've seen that's not the case. But there's also a personal side to not wanting to work. I know of people around me who are completing a master's degree and others who don't want to enter the workforce. Partly, it's out of fear. Entering the workforce is like entering adulthood.

At twelve years old, in his case.

— Yes, with Black bread [2010]. But I would say it wasn't work. I had a contract, a schedule, and a calendar, but it wasn't work for me. Work Seriously, it was when I was twenty and had finished my training. That's when I thought, "Now you're really going to start working, and you're going to be working until you retire."

Now what are you working on, if I may ask?

— I work for an industrial automation company. It's my regular job, which I combine with any film and theater projects that come up.

Was it clear to you from the beginning that you would have to have two jobs?

— No. My initial idea was to dedicate myself solely to acting. But we all know it's a complicated world. It was during the lockdown that I was out of work for a while and decided to find an alternative plan. If I had said, "No, I'm just an actor," I might have had to scrape by, and I didn't feel like doing that. It gives me peace of mind to have a steady job. Then, if an audiovisual project comes along, I have to work hard to juggle everything, and I'm very busy, but I also enjoy it.

Has being famous at such a young age affected your social life?

— I would say very little. Every now and then someone would say, "Look, the one from Black bread"But that's not much that's happened to me. It was a film that wasn't popular with young people, and that helped me a lot. If I had made a famous series, it would have been different. I'm sure fame brings positive things, but I really value being able to walk peacefully through the world.