Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Next Round” explores the ideas and innovations that are helping drinks businesses adapt in a time of unprecedented change. As the coronavirus crisis continues and new challenges arise, VP Pro is in your corner, supporting the drinks community for all the rounds to come. If you have a story or perspective to share, email us at [email protected]

In this “Next Round,” VinePair CEO Adam Teeter speaks with Victor Urrutia, CEO of Spanish winery CVNE (pronounced “Cune”), or Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, meaning “Wine Company of the North of Spain.” The family winery has passed through five generations, and Urrutia is the seventh member of his family to run the company.

While CVNE has described itself as an historically “introverted winery,” CEO Urrutia now aims to more actively spread the CVNE wine name around the world.

During the conversation, Urrutia discusses the challenges and opportunities facing Spanish wine producers, particularly in America, where Spain has historically been absent from food and wine. He points primarily to the correlation between food culture and wine popularity in the American market: Unlike French and Italian cuisine, Spanish cooking and culture have a much smaller presence in U.S. dining and restaurants. As a result, Spanish wines have also been omitted in the American wine market, a reality Urrutia and his Spanish wine- producing peers are slowly overcoming.

Regarding how to market Spanish wine, Urrutia talks about the benefits of both Spanish producers and wine regions, in addition to the larger culture of friendliness, openness, and enjoyment that is so ingrained in his home country. In order to best share his wines with international markets, Urrutia aims to convey this gregarious culture through the expression of the CVNE wine itself.

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