Vicente Gandia; Europe’s Best

Bodega has always been a difficult word to translate, and many English people suffer with cellar or chateau or winery or vineyard, none of which really explain what a Bodega is, I think.

Fortunately, it’s always impressive to slip a few foreign words into an article, as journalists have been doing un petit peu for centuries, and so, Bodega it is.

All of which serves to announce that the best Bodega in Europe is Valencia’s Vicente Gandia, based in Chiva but with vineyards all over the Útiel-Requena grape growing areas of Valencia.

The award was given in October 2018 by the European Oenogastronomic Brotherhoods Council, who described Vicente Gandia as the Best European Winery 2018, so I suppose that makes it official.

The award was presented in Athens by the Greek Minister for Tourism Elena Kountoura, who paid homage to the 130 years of history of Valencia’s wine makers, who historically saved the French ‘bodegas’ from death by insect on more than one occasion.

Vicente Gandia was founded in Valencia in 1885 and is now managed by the 4th generation of the family Gandia. Today their wines are enjoyed in more than 90 countries on 5 continents.

Vicente Gandía is considered the largest winery in Valencia and best value winery in Spain regarding the rating by the international recognized Spanish wine guide, the Penin Guide.

In 2014, Vicente Gandía was awarded the best Spanish wine producer by the prestigious international competition AWC Vienna. The same year, the World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wine and Spirits included Vicente Gandía in its annual list, as one of the Top 50 wineries in the world.