Freixenet Pinot Grigio

The first bottle of Freixenet was released in 1914, the creation of a couple named Pedro Ferrer & Dolores Sala who were both from winemaking families. In 1889, Pedro Ferrer married Dolores Sala, whose family had been making wine at their Casa Sala property since 1861. Pedro's nickname was "El Freixenet", named after his family's ranch "La Freixeneda", which means ash tree grove in Catalan. Dolores' keen interest in the winemaking process was easily complemented by Pedro's business savvy and sense of community. Their marriage coincided with the arrival of the Phylloxera plague in Spain, which wiped out most of Europe's vineyards. Far from being deterred, the couple replanted their decimated land with white varietals to make sparkling wine. In 1914, the first bottles were released with Pedro's childhood nickname on the label. Freixenet had been born.