Thirty years enhancing the prestige of Cava from Montferri

In 1991, Lluís Vives i Solé's grandfather was recognized by President Pujol "for his leading role in technological advancements in the vineyard sector." Today, the Catalan government no longer awards this distinction to those who work the land and protect the landscape. His son, Enric Vives, and his wife, Aïda Conesa, are oenologists, having graduated from the Rovira i Virgili University. Thirty years ago, they decided to establish Cavas Vives Ambròs in Montferri. Together, they maintain the legacy of a farming family with over 500 years of history in the Alt Camp region, and now the sixth generation has joined them. David Vives has set aside his computer career to cultivate vineyards. It's common to see him working on a 1979 John Deere tractor, but also skillfully communicating on Instagram. The cellars are celebrating their thirtieth anniversary, and it seems that, nestled near the church and just a few meters from the modernist Sanctuary of Montserrat, they are navigating the crisis looming over the wine industry. They will expand the facilities to store the increasingly longer aging processes for their Cava, as well as the shop to offer better wine tourism services. "At Vives Ambròs, 99% is vineyards, and we sell 90% of our production in the shop," explains Enric Vives. They are a rare elderlyThey don't have distributors. "Word of mouth and the quality-price-pleasure ratio of our wines and cavas work for us," he adds. Specialized critics and international competitions have also been kind to them; 71 gold medals and 40 silver medals.

"After studying in Tarragona, I went to Champagne for an internship and my wife went to California to pursue a postgraduate degree at the University of California, Davis. When we returned, we decided to add value to the grape. From the beginning, we've believed that we had to do things differently, like making cavas," Vives summarizes. They started aging them for three or four years. Now they've jumped to eight, but the horizon is between ten and twelve. "All the qualities are in the skin, and that's what we work with," he points out. In 2017, they also ventured into producing still wines, recovering native varieties like red Xarel·lo and using aging vessels other than barrels, such as amphorae. They recently launched an ancestral Muscato. "We think it's a good option for young people." They adapt to the times without betraying their philosophy. Weekends are a constant flow of visitors. "We offer the entire collection, six wines and six cavas, so they can understand the different winemaking styles. We make it fun, but also educational," says David Vives. The reception area at Vives Ambròs is designed as wine barThey are comfortable in one-on-one situations and offer the possibility of coming in and having a drink.