Meet The Producer: Louise Jorgensen of Padró i Familia
Editor’s note: Today we are launching a series of interviews with some our favorite producers. We hope you enjoy getting to know them!
Hometown:
Sant Pere de Ribes, Catalonia, Spain
Current location:
Bràfim, Catalonia, Spain
Company:
Padró i Familia parent company of Padró & Co. a 5th generation family-owned producer of wine, liqueur wines and vermouths.
Title:
Export Director
Years in current role:
Nearly 7 years. I joined the winery to help develop export sales and I am still doing that. However, as we grow internationally, my job increasingly involves management of our foreign markets.
Years in the industry:
Nearly 7 years
First job in the industry:
This is it! I started out with more of a background in international communication and have been learning about wine, vermouth, and the drinks business ever since. The Padró family as well as mentors among friends and family working in the industry have taught me most of what I know.
Family in the business:
My husband, who is Spanish, has been working in the wine industry for over 15 years. He takes care of several foreign markets for a winery in La Rioja. I also have a Jorgensen cousin who makes gin in South Africa – I believe it is quite well known over there.
Advice to your young self:
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
Advice for someone just starting out:
Listen, read, observe and learn. If something is not clear or you don't get it, ask. The industry is full of amazing people with a lot of experience who will help you. Never underestimate the value of teamwork. It’s unlikely that any one person will be good at everything.
Awards you are most proud of:
Without a doubt, the awards we have received for our vermouths. The Padró family have been making vermouth following the traditional process since the last century but only recently started bottling it. Almost immediately we received some amazing awards from all over the world. A Grand Gold Medal from Concours Mondial in Brussels for our Padró & Co. Rojo Clásico, 95 points for our Padró & Co. Reserva Especial from Tastings International Review of Spirits in the US and 94 points for our Padró & Co. Dorado Amargo Suave from Peñín here in Spain. Our Padró & Co. Rojo Amargo received Double Gold and Best of Class at the ADI Judging of Craft Spirits in 2019 and San Francisco World Spirits gave us Double Gold for packaging. In 2018, our Myrrha Rojo was voted Best Vermouth for Cocktails by the Bar Tenders Association of Catalonia. I think I speak for everyone at the winery when I say that we could not be more thrilled by this worldwide recognition.
Who you would want to share a drink with:
I would love to share a drink with Harry Craddock. I have a copy of The Savoy Cocktail Book that he gave to my grandmother, an American in London, in 1932. The book contains around 250 recipes using vermouth. I would ask him to prepare me a Blood and Sand and maybe take along some of our vermouths. It would be great to know more about vermouth in cocktails and see what he would do with our Padró vermouths.
A memorable event with drinks:
One of the nicest events we did was up in the north of Denmark where we organized a Vermouth and Cocktails evening with our Padró & Co. range. We tasted each vermouth on its own first and then showed people how to make a simple cocktail with each expression. With some tapas to accompany, it proved to be a fun evening and those who attended the event were amazed to discover how versatile vermouth can be. I enjoy the wine fairs and tastings organized by our importers and customers in general. It is always so good to meet people face to face, both those who are working with our products and those who are enjoying them! I hope we can get back to that soon.
My last trip pre-Covid was to New York, so that seems quite special now. January 2020. It was freezing but exhilarating.
Favorite bottle to bring to a party:
A bottle of one of the white wines we make at Padró, either our Garnacha Blanca or our Macabeo-Xarel.lo blend, a light Mediterranean wine made with the same grapes we use to make our vermouth base wines. Either of these is perfect for a pre-dinner sip or together with a meal. If I'm allowed to take more than one bottle, I'd take some Padró & Co. vermouths and get everyone to choose their favorite.
Last book you read:
Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pierce. Set during the second world war in London, this is a good portrait of how people were at the time, their resilience, and their efforts to find some kind of normality in the face of the uncertainties surrounding them. The way it’s narrated, by the main character Emmy, is absolutely charming.
Favorite author:
Hard to pick just one. I enjoy a range of writers. Bill Bryson, Margaret Forster, Thomas Hardy, Paul Gallico.......
Favorite movie:
The Shawshank Redemption. Forrest Gump would be high on the list. I also like movies such as Sliding Doors and Family Man that have two parallel plots.
Favorite song:
Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel. Solsbury Hill overlooks the city of Bath in the UK where I lived as a young teenager, so this song has special meaning to me.
Favorite sports team or athlete:
I don't have one. I think Roger Federer is pretty cool to watch on the tennis court. I also quite like watching rugby but don't support any team.
Most memorable drinking experience:
That would have been with my husband, then boyfriend, when I first came to Spain over 30 years ago. Someone brought out a bottle of local red wine with no label on it. It was amazing. I had never tasted anything so delicious. Spain is rich with excellent local products waiting to be discovered. I hope that the wine I tried all those years ago is now labeled and traveling the world as it deserves.
Favorite celebratory drink:
Usually a glass of fine-quality Cava. We are fortunate to live close to where Cava is made (south of Barcelona and just to the north of Spain’s main vermouth-making area), so we are spoilt for choice.
Most prized bottle in your collection:
A bottle of ice wine made at a friend's micro-winery in Llivia, a small area of Spain that lies just inside France. The winery is located at an altitude of 1200m where winemaking is a high-risk activity due to the range of temperatures. This is a project of passion.
Favorite region to visit:
I love visiting different places here in Spain, the regions are so diverse in terms of landscapes, climate, and people. Japan is a special place for us because we lived there for several years and loved how respectful the people were of others around them. We once received a note of apology from our neighbors saying they were about to do some construction work on their house and were concerned that we may be bothered by the dust. The culture is also fascinating. At the same time I would love to have time to travel more in the US. Breathtaking national parks and how friendly everyone is! There are wonderful things to be discovered in most countries but no one country has it all.
Product that you’re most excited about in your portfolio:
Our Padró & Co. family of vermouths. This is a series of five interconnecting vermouths each with its own special character. We make the vermouths ourselves at our winery, from grape to bottle and following the traditional vermouth-making process. I would say that our packaging as well as the concept of a range of new vermouth sensations, blending tradition with innovation and all under one brand is quite unique.
Favorite drink that’s not in your portfolio:
Malt Whisky. I lived in Scotland for four years as a student and learnt to drink it there.
Dream job:
Many years ago, I wanted to be a journalist. My dream was to travel and write. But that was then and, to be honest, I am happy with my current job. You get to talk to and meet a lot of people around the world. Anything international comes high up on my list of interesting jobs.
Parting thought:
I am really glad to be involved in presenting one of the many fine-quality products Spain has to offer. I used to think that Spain was just about sun, sea, sand, and sangria, but there are many other incredible landscapes and products to discover here, together with the age-old traditions that go with them.