- The sommelier from the three-starred Celler de Can Roca will be the official spokesman for the great food and wine event and will lead an exclusive masterclass on 19 June to kick off the new edition of La Cata del Barrio de la Estación.
- Roca will take over from Master of Wine Tim Atkin, Pedro Ballesteros and Sarah Jane Evans.
La Cata del Barrio de la Estación returns on 20 June 2020 and will once again feature a leading personality from the wine and gastronomy sector who will take on the title of Maquinista of the Year. For the next edition, the sommelier of the three-starred Celler de Can Roca, Josep Roca, will be in charge of guiding and conducting next year’s great food and wine event.
“I am very pleased and happy to be the Maquinista of the Year for La Cata del Barrio de la Estación 2020. This event is a must for all wine and food lovers around the world and it is a date that we should all save in our calendar to live it in style, surrounded by great references that are part of the history of Rioja and Spanish wine” says Josep Roca.
One of the great novelties of the edition will be the exclusive tasting that Josep Roca himself will hold the day before the event, on 19 June. It will be an unprecedented masterclass that can only be accessed with a separate ticket from the one on 20 June, which will be available soon on the event’s website: www.lacatadelbarriodelaestacion.com
Masters of Wine Sarah Jane Evans (2018), Pedro Ballesteros (2016) and Tim Atkin (2015) were in charge of the three previous editions of La Cata del Barrio de la Estación. Each of them left their mark on the Barrio and turned each of their respective editions into an unforgettable event.
Biography Josep Roca
Josep Roca (Girona, 1966) is maître-sumiller and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca (3* Michelin, Girona). He grew up with his two brothers – Joan and Jordi, chef and pastry chef respectively – among the dishes and cookers of his parents’ restaurant, Can Roca, where his passion for gastronomy blossomed. In 1985 he finished his studies at the Escola d’Hosteleria de Girona and, the following year, together with his brother Joan, he opened El Celler de Can Roca in an adjacent premises. In 1995 he was awarded his first Michelin star and in 2002 his second. They won the National Gastronomy Award in 2004. In 2009 they were awarded their third star, the same year that Josep Roca published the book Vins Compartits together with the journalist Marcel Gorgori, with whom he collaborated on the Canal 33 programme En Clau de Vi. In 2012, they received the award for Best Wine List from the Revue du Vin de France, as well as the award for Person of the Year. In both 2005 and 2011, Josep won the Prix International de Gastronomia for sommelier of the year, as well as the National Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier in 2010. During 2013 and 2015, Restaurant Magazine named El Celler de Can Roca as the best restaurant in the world, while in 2013 he was considered The S. Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant, a year in which he also won the Golden Gueridon Award.
