Carlos Fité: "I've wasted a lot of time in my life because I always ordered the same wine"

We met at the ViconVino shop on Calle Diputació to conduct the interview. Although you are best known for your role as a sports journalist, this shop is also part of your life. How much time do you spend within these walls?

— I don't do much. My wife is the one who spends the most hours here, she's the one who's here all day. I'm more involved in the accounting, numbers and all those administrative things. It's a project that was born four years ago with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of work, but thanks to my wife's knowledge and experience.

What was your relationship with wine like before you met your wife, Vanesa?

— It has changed a lot, because I was a traditional wine drinker, I almost only drank traditional red wines and I thought I didn't like whites. She has made me discover a world behind wine, and above all it is not that you have to like certain wines, but that you learn to choose the best wine for each moment. Depending on how you feel or the situation you are in, one wine fits better than another. Although sometimes you have the chance to drink a spectacular wine, there are times when it is not necessary and a much more informal wine works much better. Historically, it has been said that wines pair with food, but I believe that wines pair with moments.

Thinking back, what would you celebrate with a great victory for Barça, or Sabadell...?

— For example, I have a bottle reserved for the day when Sabadell goes up and makes a promotion.

What bottle is it?

— It is a bottle called La Creu Alta, from the Mas Alta winery, because the Sabadell vineyard is in Nova Creu Alta. So it is a bottle that has already been reserved. On the other hand, it could also be celebrated with a sparkling wine, and obviously, another myth in this field is that the best sparkling wines are French, when in fact great sparkling wines are made here. The thing is that they should be recognised and valued more.

In these four years in the store, have you ever stood on the other side of the counter?

— I've had to do it sometimes and I have a terrible time, because you have a bit of impostor syndrome, because, obviously, she has studies and I... What I do to get by a little is to sell the bottles through the stories of some of the wineries that I know, because some have beautiful stories. I take it to my territory and that way I don't feel like such an impostor.

As a buyer, does this technique work for you too?

— I'm sure they won't buy from me because of the label, which is something that really annoys me. It's true that a nice label adds value, it's very obvious. But sometimes when you see too many labels you think badly. However, the work behind a wine always adds value. I really like to bring a wine on a special occasion and be able to tell the family stories or the stories of the wineries behind that bottle.

Has getting to know the world of wine up close made you more fanatic?

— I have always said that the container is as important as the contents. That is why I suppose I am a geek when it comes to glasses. Few people know that all glasses, more or less good, have their mark engraved on them. Many times when I go to a restaurant with my friends I tell them "there is no need to order a good wine, with this glass it could be a great wine, we won't enjoy it." That's right. However, when you find restaurants that value the glass, for me they have an absolute plus. And it is very difficult, sometimes, to find restaurants that value the glass. In fact, I was such a geek that with my friends we did a Riedel Experience, which is to try the same wine with different glasses, since then my friends are more annoying than me on the subject of glasses.

In your professional field you have had the opportunity to travel to many places covering football matches. Do you remember any place where you tasted a special wine?

— What you're asking me makes me realize that I've wasted a lot of time in my life because I always ordered the same thing. One of the things you tend to do when you're a traditional person is not to move away from what you know you like. So, you look at the menu and when there's a wine you know, you order that one, when really something wonderful is to let yourself be advised by professionals. Let yourself be surprised without having these prejudices.