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The path of a pioneer<\/h4>\n
When he decided to become a sommelier at nineteen, hardly anyone understood what that meant. \u201cOutside the big cities, nobody really knew what a sommelier was,\u201d he says. \u201cRestaurants saw no reason to hire someone devoted solely to wine.\u201d At that time, the heart of every restaurant was the kitchen, not the cellar. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there were hardly any training opportunities in Spain, I went to France to work with small winemakers during the harvest,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s where I learned to understand wine \u2014 from the soil to the glass.\u201d <\/p>\n
Back in Spain, he enrolled in an intensive course: eight hours of written theory, practical tastings, and long days spent travelling by train. \u201cI thought I wouldn\u2019t have to study,\u201d he says with a smile, \u201cbut I\u2019ve never studied so much in my life. It was hard work, but I was happy.\u201d <\/p>\n
He remembers having to explain to his friends what he was actually doing. \u201cFor them, wine was something for the botell\u00f3n \u2014 just a way to get drunk. They didn\u2019t understand that it was a craft, a profession.\u201d <\/p>\n
There are two names he mentions with deep respect: Ricardo Ahullana, the ma\u00eetre who made him open his first bottle in front of guests – \u201cI was shaking, but it changed me\u201d, and Custodio Zamarra, \u201cthe most humble top sommelier Spain has ever seen.\u201d From Zamarra he learned something that remains his credo to this day: knowledge only has value when it\u2019s shared with humility. <\/p>\n
BonAmb \u2013 where gastronomy and emotion converge<\/h4>\n
His path to BonAmb<\/span><\/em> didn\u2019t begin with a job application, but with curiosity. \u201cAt the time, I was also working as a food critic,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI visited It was 2016, the year BonAmb earned its second Michelin star. \u201cWe were drunk with happiness,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a rollercoaster of emotions \u2014 I had never experienced anything like it.\u201d <\/p>\n Since then, BonAmb has become much more than a workplace for Enrique; it is a living organism where wine, food, and emotion merge. \u201cThe wineries we work with are all places I feel personally connected to,\u201d he says. \u201cThey touch something inside me.\u201d <\/p>\n As a sommelier, Enrique Garc\u00eda Albelda doesn\u2019t work at BonAmb alone. As Head Sommelier, he now leads a team of three sommeliers at BonAmb, together with colleagues from Casa Pepa. \u201cWe taste, take notes, and debate endlessly,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery wine is stripped down to its essence, and only then do we decide whether it deserves a place in our restaurants.\u201d <\/p>\n He speaks modestly about awards, as if they were secondary. Yet his track record is impressive: three-time nominee for Mejor Sumiller de Espa\u00f1a<\/i> and winner of the 2018\/2019 Copa Jerez<\/span><\/em> together with the BonAmb team \u2014 a competition entirely devoted to maridaje<\/i>, the art of pairing wine and food into a harmony of flavours. <\/p>\n \u201cThose days were intense, full of adrenaline,\u201d he recalls. \u201cBut above all, I felt proud \u2014 not because of the title, but because we, as a team, had achieved something truly exceptional.\u201d <\/p>\n When he returned from the world finals, exhausted and jet-lagged, a surprise awaited him: his wife picked him up, but instead of driving home, she took him to a restaurant where family, friends, and colleagues were waiting. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget that evening \u2014 the joy, that feeling of connection. It was more beautiful than the trophy itself.\u201d <\/p>\n Throughout his career, Enrique has served countless well-known guests, but his stories are never about status. They\u2019re stories about connection. <\/p>\n \u201cGuy Ritchie was one of those moments,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cI heard him say that BonAmb was the best place in Spain to enjoy a Jerez. It gave me goosebumps.\u201d <\/p>\n Another moment is more intimate. \u201cWhen former Colombian president Pastrana came for lunch, I gave him a bottle of wine bearing his own name as a parting gift. He didn\u2019t notice at first \u2014 I had wrapped it well. Later that evening, he called personally to thank me. Those are the moments that stay with you.\u201d <\/p>\n They are small stories that tell something greater \u2014 about respect, humanity, and the power of a simple gesture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t taste for ourselves,\u201d Enrique says with emphasis. \u201cWe taste for our guests.\u201d <\/p>\n There\u2019s conviction in his voice. Every new wine project at BonAmb begins with tasting, noting, comparing \u2014 but never with ego. \u201cIt\u2019s not about our own taste,\u201d he says, \u201cbut about what the wine can bring to the guest\u2019s experience. We want each glass not only to match the dish, but also the moment.\u201d <\/p>\n His maridajes are stories in liquid form. \u201cWhat we want to convey is a journey \u2014 of places, soils, grapes, emotions. A wine shouldn\u2019t just harmonize; it should move you.\u201d Big names interest him less. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to pour expensive bottles, but the real beauty lies in discovering small producers, in finding hidden gems.\u201d <\/p>\n When the conversation turns to his own region, his tone changes \u2014 softer, more personal. \u201cThe wines of the Marina Alta<\/em> have long suffered from their image,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople used to think we could only make sweet wines \u2014 moscatel, mistela, bulk wine.\u201d <\/p>\n He shakes his head. \u201cWhat a mistake. We have immense potential here \u2014 ancient grape varieties, unique soils, and a climate capable of producing real finesse.\u201d <\/p>\n He names them with affection: Mas de Masos<\/em>, Casa Agr\u00edcola by Pepe Mendoza<\/em>, and Les Freses<\/em> in Jes\u00fas Pobre. He especially praises \u00d3scar Mestre \u2014 \u201cpassionate people like him, who respect the earth and give it a voice again.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe Costa Blanca,\u201d he says, \u201cis not just a region. It\u2019s a state of mind \u2014 a blend of tradition and boldness.\u201d<\/p>\n The world of wine is changing, and that gives him hope. \u201cNew generations have it easier than we did,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are training programs, tasting schools, wine tourism, the internet\u2026 When I started, you had to discover everything on your own.\u201d He smiles. \u201cWe were pioneers without a map, but because of that, we learned to take every step consciously.\u201d <\/p>\n He looks with pride at how Spain has reinvented itself. \u201cWe are no longer the country of cheap wine. Today, Spanish wines are appreciated around the world for their character and quality \u2014 the result of years of dedication by winemakers, sommeliers, and enthusiasts who keep raising the bar.\u201d <\/p>\n For Enrique, the future is not only technological or commercial, but cultural. \u201cThe real change lies in how we talk about wine,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the past, wine was knowledge reserved for insiders, full of complicated words. Now we want everyone to understand it. The language of wine belongs to the people, not to the elite.\u201d <\/p>\n At the end of the day, he often returns to the cellar. \u201cSometimes just to listen,\u201d he says. \u201cThe wine is alive \u2014 you can almost hear it breathe.\u201d He picks up a bottle, turns it in his hand, studies the colour through the glass. \u201cSome bottles are like people,\u201d he says softly. \u201cThey need time to come into full bloom.\u201d <\/p>\n Enrique Garc\u00eda Albelda, the fatherly proud sommelier of BonAmb, smiles, closes the rack, and walks upstairs, where the gentle murmur of the restaurant grows closer.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most beautiful wine,\u201d he says as he closes the door behind him, \u201cis the one that stays with you \u2014 because it lets you feel, for a moment, who you are.\u201d<\/p>\nThe art of maridaje<\/h4>\n
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The person behind the glass<\/h4>\nThe philosophy of a sommelier<\/h4>\n
The soul of the Costa Blanca<\/h4>\n
The future of wine<\/h4>\n
The silence returns<\/h4>\n
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