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Josep Roca I Fontaine

His first contact with wine was in the cellar of his parents' bar. He soon forged an intimate relationship with his two great talents: wine and the room.

Today, he is a master in the art of food and wine pairing, and master of ceremonies in the dining room of the restaurant he runs with his brothers, Joan and Jordi. At Celler de Can Roca ***, wine not only transcends the dining room, but also takes center stage as a source of inspiration in the creation and conceptualization of dishes.

He likes to call himself a "wine waiter". According to the press and specialist critics, he has achieved "an almost infinite associative match between food and wine". Like his brothers, he trained at the Escola d'Hostaleria de Girona. In his spare time, he devotes himself to dissemination and training, both in the world of wine and in team management, in the conferences he gives internationally, and also as a teacher. He currently runs a Specialization Course for Sommeliers at the Universitat de Girona and teaches certain subjects as part of the Diploma in Tourism and Oenology at the same university.

His first experience of wine in the publishing world was alongside Marcel Gorgori, with Vins compartits (2009). In 2016, he published Tras las viñas. A journey to the soul of wine, in collaboration with Dr. Imma Puig, an essay that explores the more humanistic side of wine.

He also played an expert role in TV3's "En clau de vi" program, with which he collaborated from 2006 to 2011.

Recognition

2023 Michelin Special Sommelier Award Spain 2024

2022 Grand Prix international de l'art de la Salle de l'Académie Internationale de la Gastronomie

2022 Josep Roca receives World's Best Sommelier Award 2022 from The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

2020 Creu de Sant Jordi from the Generalitat de Catalunya to the Roca brothers

2018 Josep Roca appointed honorary member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors

2016 Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca are appointed Goodwill Ambassadors of the United Nations Program for Sustainable Development.

2015 El Celler de Can Roca receives the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts.

2013 Prix du Guéridon d'Or 2012 Best wine list award from Revue du Vins de France. Personality of the year in France.

2011 International Academy of Gastronomy award for best sommelier of the year.

2010 Prix National de la Gastronomie for Best Sommelier of the Year.

2009 El Celler de Can Roca receives 3 Michelin stars.

2006 Prix National de la Gastronomie for the best wine list from the Académie Internationale de la Gastronomie.

2005 International Academy of Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier of the Year.

2004 National Gastronomy Award for Best Maître de Salle.

  • Home country Spain
  • Country of residence Spain
  • Function Celler de Can Roca***, Girona, Spain
  • Affiliation Gastronomy
  • Website
Send a message toJosep Roca I Fontaine

Contact information

C/ Can Sunyer 46 17007 Girona / Spain Tel. 0034 650386023 josep@cellercanroca.com

Biography

Josep Roca (Girona, March 19, 1966) is a wine waiter and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca (3* Michelin, Girona).
From an early age, he grew up with his two brothers -Joan and Jordi, chef and pastry chef- between the dishes and pans of his parents’ restaurant, Can Roca, where his passion for gastronomy was born.
He runs a specialized sommelier course with the Fondation Universitat de Girona.
Professor at the University of Girona in the fourth year of the Faculty of Tourism, in gastronomy and oenology.
In 1985, he completed his studies at the Escola d’Hosteleria de Girona and the following year, with his brother Joan, opened the El Celler de Can Roca restaurant in the premises adjacent to his parents’.
1995 saw the award of his first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2002 and a third in 2009, coinciding with the publication of the book Vins Partagés, alongside journalist Marcel Gorgori, with whom he collaborates on the Canal 33 program En Clau de Vi.
Best wine list by Revue du Vin de France 2012, one of France’s personalities of the year.
Guéridon d’Or award 2013.
In 2016, he wrote the book Derrière les vignes, voyage dans l’âme des vins alongside El Celler de Can Roca collaborating psychologist Imma Puig.
National Gastronomy Award in 2004.
In 2005 and 2011, he received the International Gastronomy Award for Sommelier of the Year.
In 2010, National Gastronomy Award for Best Sommelier.
The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant 2013 and 2015.
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador since 2016.
In 2016 The Restaurant Room receives the Hospitality Awards from 50Best Grand Prix international de l’art de la Salle from the International Academy of Gastronomy 2022 World’s best sommelier Award 2022 50Best Restaurant Food Hero by FAO 2022.