“We should convey our passion for wine naturally and humbly, without long speeches loaded with technical jargon; explaining a wine should be more like telling a tale or an engaging story.”
Xavier Valenzuela, sommelier at Forat 19
Editorial note: an interview recovered from Winerim's archive, originally published on 14 February 2024. Roles, career history, relative dates, recommendations and wine descriptions belong to that publication, not to a check of the current situation. Statements about Winerim are the interviewee's testimony at the time, not a guarantee of features or results.
In the world of wine, sommeliers are shaped by the humility of their beginnings, growing with every glass and every experience until they become expert masters of the secrets of wine. And that knowledge is what Xavier Valenzuela passes on to his diners every day at Forat 19.
Xavier began his journey in the wine world as an apprentice at Restaurant El Dorado Petit in Sant Feliu de Guixols. From then on, his fascination with wine showed in every aspect, from the shape of the bottles to the smell of freshly removed corks. By carefully observing customers' reactions when tasting a wine, Valenzuela learnt that conveying a passion for this drink requires a natural, humble approach, avoiding speeches loaded with technical jargon and choosing instead to tell each wine as an engaging story.
With a career shaped by constant learning and overcoming challenges, Valenzuela fondly recalls his first major test as a newly qualified sommelier, when an improvised wine-and-food tasting at a friend's restaurant grew from an intimate gathering into an event with more than fifty attendees. Although his nerves beforehand almost got the better of him, his passion and knowledge prevailed, leaving an indelible impression on the palates of those present.
Currently, at the restaurant Forat 19, Valenzuela and his team embrace a philosophy centred on customer satisfaction, providing warm, meticulous attention reflected in every detail. With professional training forged in some of the finest establishments in Barcelona and the Costa Brava, his passion and commitment combine to offer diners an exceptional gastronomic experience, where every selected wine tells a unique story that perfectly complements the restaurant's exquisite culinary offering.
We have spoken with Xavier to learn a little more about his career and his vision and knowledge of the wine world. Today, in Winerim Academy: Xavier Valenzuela, front-of-house manager and sommelier at Forat 19.
1. When did your interest in the world of wine begin?
At 16 I worked as an apprentice at Restaurant El Dorado Petit in Sant Feliu de Guixols. Everything related to wine fascinated me: the shape of the bottles, the labels, the smell of freshly removed corks, everything. I also watched from a distance how customers reacted when tasting a wine and the conversations it sparked between them. Despite being very young, I always found a way to smell and taste many of the wines served there.
2. What qualities should a good sommelier have?
Conveying a passion for wine naturally and humbly, without long speeches loaded with technical jargon; explaining a wine should be more like telling a tale or an engaging story. Knowing how to listen is also essential.
3. What is the most unusual place where you have organised or attended a wine tasting?
When I had just qualified as a sommelier, a friend asked me to do him the favour of holding a wine-and-food tasting at his family's restaurant. It would be in “petit comité”, no more than six or eight people, he said. But a day before the event, it turned out that interest had grown considerably and the number attending was around fifty.
I remember it very fondly, but just before starting my legs were trembling and I almost had a funny turn from stage fright.
4. What are the current trends in sommellerie?
In restaurants, especially fine-dining restaurants, the trend is to seek softer, easier-drinking reds, with less extraction and alcohol, lighter and more perfumed. For example, some of the excellent high-altitude Garnacha wines made in central Spain, or some wines from the Trepat variety in the conca de Barberà: more “Burgundian” profiles, offering a wider range of pairing possibilities than more powerful wines.
5. Tell us about your favourite wines: a white, a red, a rosé and a sparkling wine
The question is very complex and difficult, as incredibly good wines are made all over the planet.
Among the things I have tasted recently, I really liked the white from Goyo García -GEORGIEVA-. It is a skin-macerated white, made from the malvasía and albillo varieties, very aromatic, natural but not at all radical.
Among rosés, Clos d´Agon -Alba del Tinar- surprised and fascinated me: fresh but full-bodied, very persistent and with a complexity that is hard to find in a rosé.
Among reds, I am amazed by all the classic-style Riojas made by the winery Rioja alta. Their “904” and “890” are delicious, with an incredible capacity to age.
Editorial note: the question asks for four categories, but the original answer includes only a white, a rosé and reds. It contains no sparkling wine recommendation.
“A good tip is to read tasting notes for the wines you are going to taste and try to add your own nuances and opinions about the wine”
6. What should someone with little experience of wine look for when choosing one to accompany their meal? In other words, what basic rules should a diner know to choose a good wine?
Stepping outside your “comfort zone” and tasting wines different from those you are used to, pairing them without prejudice or rules, is a good plan. Practising pairings by “affinity” and “contrast” is also a good way to start experimenting, to develop and discover enriching gastronomic experiences.
7. Debunk a myth about wine and pairing it with food
The classic habit of whites with fish, rosé with pizza and salads, and red with meat and stews. This is not dogma: you have to mix things up and experiment.
8. What requirements must a wine meet to be a good wine?
The essential thing is for it to be at least minimally balanced in all its aspects. The fewer edges it has and the more rounded it is, the better.
9. Steps we should follow to taste wine at an amateur level
A good tip is to read tasting notes for the wines you are going to taste and try to add your own nuances and opinions about the wine, without fear of making a fool of yourself, being brave and uninhibited.
10. The wine that has surprised you most recently
As Covas, from Fedellos de Couto. A Pinot Noir without a designation of origin, made in Val do Salnés (Rías Baixas). Subtlety, precision and elegance in equal measure.
11. The best value-for-money wine you have tasted
In general, all the fortified wines of Jerez have incredible quality at unbeatable prices compared with the pleasure they give when you drink them. One example: the Manzanilla from Barbadillo -Muy Fina-.
“Thanks to using Winerim, I can discover new wines and learn what other sommeliers think.”
12. A traditional paper wine list or a digital wine list?
For ease of handling when there are many wines, the digital list is unbeatable.
13. How does Winerim help you in your work?
Ease of use for professional management, but above all the visual presentation it provides (photos of wines) and its simplicity for the customer to use.
14. Finally, a piece of advice for any wine lover
Taste with your heart.