Jaume Gramona : The Vitiviniculture Artist

Jaume Gramona Martí (1961) belongs to the fifth generation of winemakers of the Gramona family. He studied at the School of Vine in Madrid, where he obtained the title of Technician in Viticulture and Enology. Later he moved to Dijon, where he obtained the Diplome National d’Oenologie. These titles were added over time the Master in Quality Control by the IQS, the Master of Aromas by the UPC, a stage in the CIVC Champagne, and a long etcetera.

Like many other producers in Spain, Gramona switched from conventional to integrated vine growing and then leaped organic farming. Their commitment to biodynamics (Demeter certified) starts in 2014 in the plots destined to Enoteca and Celler Batlle, the house’s top Cavas, the white wine Font Jui Xarel.lo and the red Bru, made from Pinot Noir. In the 2015 harvest, grapes used in their Cava III Lustros were also biodynamically grown. Jaume Gramona’s main concern, in terms of the ground under his feet, is its biological life rather than performing physical and chemical analysis. 

Gramona also has faith in and advocates the most singular and emblematic Penedès variety, Xarel•lo, a vine that is not found anywhere else and which is the backbone of the bodega’s most famous long-term aged cavas: ‘Imperial’ and ‘III Lustros’, wines which are identified with the bodega and are the top-selling brands that reach the end consumer.

Jaume Gramona is a vitiviniculture artist; creator of wines such as ‘Vi de Gel’, ‘Moustillan’, ‘Gessamí’ or ‘Sauvignon Blanc’, renowned both for their personality and their quality. This avid researcher into the hidden secrets of wine stands out for his innate creativity and careful adaptation of family culture to current taste trends. Jaume focuses in particular on the two sparkling wines that are not made from the traditional varieties: ‘Argent’ and ‘Rosé Pinot Noir’. The first is made from 100% Chardonnay, a Gran Reserva aged 35 months; the second is a Pinot Noir single-varietal aged two years, affording its smoothness and freshness. 

Another of the projects that has made this oenologist famous, aside from his white wines and cavas, is his ‘Vi de Gel’ (‘Ice Wine’), a wine he has been making for over a decade and which he sells under two labels made from foreign varieties: ‘Vi de Gel Gewürztraminer’ and ‘Vi de Gel Riesling-Muscat’.

‘Eiswein’ (German ice wine) is made by picking the grapes while frozen in the vineyard, then crushing while still cold and fermenting at low temperatures. However, the lack of frost in the Catalonian vineyards during the harvesting months means that Gramona’s ice wine has to be made differently. After various tests, the only possible and natural way to reach a higher concentration of must after a late harvest is by partially freezing the grapes; this implies a greater ecological control of the whole process: techniques known as “supraextraction” and “cryoextraction” that take place in cold storage.