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Our Team / El Nostre Equip
We were drawn to the Priorat by a love of the wines, then enchanted by the history, heritage and beauty of the region. We joined together to care for some land and make wine and are committed to the local community, with long term employees from the nearby village of Poboleda.
L’amor pels vins ens va atraure al Priorat, llavors encantats per la història, el patrimoni i la bellesa de la regió. Ens vam unir per cuidar terres i elaborar vi, i estem compromesos amb la comunitat local, amb empleats a llarg termini del poble proper de Poboleda.
David Forer
Email: David@ClosSalanca.com
Phone/SMS/WhatsApp: +34 679 870 609
From England to Canada to San Francisco and eventually to Spain, David’s love of wine eventually culminated in becoming a Master of Wine in 2017. But it wasn’t until meeting Franck that he was able to put this knowledge to practical use, when they bought the vineyards of Clos Salanca together with Melinda Whiteside in 2018. His dream of growing grapes and making wine in the Old World has finally been realized. Now firmly rooted in Catalunya, he divides his time between Barcelona and the mystical beauty of the Priorat.
Des d’Anglaterra fins al Canadà, passant per San Francisco i, finalment, cap a Catalunya, l’amor pel vi de David va acabar culminant amb la seva condició de Master of Wine el 2017. Però no va ser fins a conèixer Franck que va poder utilitzar aquest coneixement quan van comprar les vinyes de Clos Salanca juntes amb Melinda Whiteside el 2018. El seu somni de cultivar raïm i elaborar vi al Vell Món per fi s’ha realitzat. Ara fermament arrelat a Catalunya, divideix el seu temps entre Barcelona i la bellesa mística del Priorat.
Franck Massard
Email: Franck@ClosSalanca.com
Franck’s storied career in wine began at some of the worlds finest restaurants. Along the way he learned from one of the top wine professionals ever, Gerard Basset, and also became Best Sommelier UK in 1996. He left the white gloves and decanters behind 20 years ago and started crafting wines from around Spain, but his passion was always with the Priorat. His first purchase of a tiny vineyard there in 2004 led to the purchase of another vineyard, and eventually to the vineyards of Clos Salanca.
La història de Franck en el vi va començar en alguns dels millors restaurants del món. Al llarg del camí, va aprendre d’un dels millors professionals del vi, Gerard Basset, i també es va convertir en el millor sommelier del Regne Unit el 1996. Va deixar enrere els guants i les garrafes blanques fa 20 anys i va començar a elaborar vins d’arreu d’Espanya, però la seva passió sempre va ser amb el Priorat. La seva primera compra d’una minúscula vinya allà el 2004 va comportar la compra d’una altra vinya i, finalment, a les vinyes del Clos Salanca.
Melinda Whiteside
Email: Melinda@ClosSalanca.com
Following a storied career developing treatments for cancer, Melinda dove into the wine business as a founder of Clos Salanca. Melinda is involved in many parts of the creation of Clos Salanca including label design and creation, blending and tasting, harvest operations, and much more. Melinda has acquired her WSET Level 3 qualification with Distinction and is now pursuing her Diploma.
Després d’una carrera històrica desenvolupant tractaments per al càncer, Melinda es va endinsar en el negoci del vi com a fundadora de Clos Salanca. Melinda participa en moltes parts de la creació de Clos Salanca, incloent el disseny i la creació d’etiquetes, la barreja i el tast, les operacions de collita i molt més. Melinda ha adquirit la seva qualificació WSET Nivell 3 amb distinció i ara està cursant el seu diploma.
Dominique Roujou
Our consultant Domique is one of the stars of winemaking in Spain. He has a PhD in oenology, but he is very much a terroir driven winemaker who is helping us understand how to bring out the true nature of our land in our wines.
Feli
A local of nearby Poboleda, Feli has been working our vineyards for 20 years. The historical knowledge she brings of every parcel and subparcel is invaluable. Now she is our vineyard manager supervising the year-round activities
Marc
Driving a tractor in the Priorat is not for the faint at heart, and Marc is a pro. He started his tractor services business at the ripe age of 19, and now four years later owns a fleet of 4 tractors of different sizes and uses.
Slavi
After Feli’s sister, Marie-Cruz, retired in 2020, we had big boots to fill. Thankfully Slavi was there to step in. We’re not sure who enjoys working in the vineyard more, Slavi or his dog, Bruno.
For general inquiries, please email us at Info@ClosSalanca.com
For all shipping related queries please email us at Shipping@ClosSalanca.com
