{"id":35508,"date":"2023-08-10T10:38:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T09:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/?p=35508"},"modified":"2023-08-10T10:38:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T09:38:04","slug":"24-hours-with-albert-jane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/2023\/08\/24-hours-with-albert-jane\/","title":{"rendered":"24 hours with Albert Jan\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our day\u2019s trip to visit Albert Jan\u00e9, winemaker on the northeast coast of Spain, comprised a whistlestop tour of his four different projects: Ac\u00fastic<\/a> in Montsant, Ritme<\/a> in Priorat and Aut\u00f2cton<\/a> and Mas Vilella<\/a>, both based around his family home in Tarragona.<\/p>\n

\"AlbertThe tempo of our visit offers a reflection of how Albert approaches his winemaking: at an almost frantic pace, but with a laser focus on each of his projects in turn. \u2018Passion\u2019 is a term that is often bandied around in the wine industry, but with Albert it shines through as a boundless energy for his vines and the clarity with which he sets out to make his wines. It\u2019s a passion so strong that it led him to first leave veterinary studies to pursue winemaking instead and then to set up on his own, outside of the family winemaking business, so that he would have autonomy to bring his winemaking visions to life without compromise.<\/p>\n

From humble beginnings<\/h1>\n

Ac\u00fastic was Albert\u2019s first solo project, starting in 2003 when Albert fell in love with a patch of old vines in Montsant. Inspired by the \u2018amphitheatre of vines\u2019 that spread across the hillside, he set out to create a wine that brought to life this dramatic landscape \u2013 showing the harmony of terroir and vines. In Albert\u2019s words, his philosophy here is: \u201cTo take advantage of the knowledge of the old indigenous vines and the old farming traditions in order to convey the landscape, history and personality of the wonderful area of Montsant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OldHis first harvest in 2004 was a tiny production quantity, with a label designed by a friend and an idea that they could just drink what they produced if nothing came of it. Fast forward 20 years and we are walking into Albert\u2019s new winery space – bigger than all of his previous wineries combined. It has 40 temperature-controlled tanks for fermentation, a room of French oak barrels with 300 barrels (complete with sound system to play music to the wines- see below)<\/span>, four large wooden casks, two cement eggs and two amphorae, for various vinous experiments. The winery sits next to a warehouse with storage for over 30,000 bottles, however Albert points out where shelves are already emptying out, as people catch on to what excellent value his wines currently represent. As with all his winemaking endeavours, Albert is brimming with excitement about the new winery \u2013 its increased capacity opens blending and single-vineyard possibilities. As Albert says, this will allow him to \u201cpaint with a greater palette of winemaking colours\u201d and create ever more precise expressions of his vineyards.<\/p>\n