Keynote speaker

JOSEP ROCA FONTANÉ

Josep Roca, a master of the art of pairing and ceremony, runs El Celler de Can Roca with his brothers Joan and Jordi. Twice recognized as the best restaurant in the world, wine transcends the dining room to become the inspiration for his dishes. He has received numerous awards and is considered an expert in wine and food pairing.

Josep Roca is the “wine waiter,” as he likes to call himself. According to the press and specialized critics, he has achieved “an almost infinite compatibility between dishes and wines.” He trained at the Girona Hospitality School and also dedicates his free time to outreach and education, sharing his passion for the world of wine through lectures and teaching. He currently directs a specialization course for sommeliers at the University of Girona and teaches courses in the Tourism and Oenology degree program at the same university.

Josep Roca has received the National Gastronomy Award for Best Maître d’ (2004), the National Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier (2010), the International Academy of Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier (2005 and 2011), the Gueridon d’Or Award for Best Maître d’ (2013), the Beronia World’s Best Sommelier Award from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (2022), the 2022 Grand Prix del Arte de la Salle from the International Academy of Gastronomy, and, in 2023, the Michelin Guide 2024 Special Sommelier Award.

His first foray into the world of wine publishing was with Marcel Gorgori, with Vinos compartidos (Shared Wines), stemming from a friendship forged on the TV3 program En clave de vi (In the Key of Wine).

In 2016, he published Detrás los viñas (Behind the Vines). A journey to the soul of wines, in collaboration with Dr. Imma Puig, an essay that delves into the more humanistic side of wine.