JULIÁN CHIVITE: historia viva del mundo del VINO
Este año se cumple el 375 Aniversario de Julián Chivite Family Estates, una de las bodegas históricas del panorama vitivinícola español. Esta bodega ha llevado sus vinos a lo largo y ancho del planeta, y aprovechamos la circunstancia de esta celebración para entrevistar al, de momento, último eslabón de la familia que está todavía metido de lleno en el día a día.
Born in Pamplona on 19 November 1950, Julián Chivite López is the eldest of Julián Chivite Marco and Mercedes López Balenzategui’s four children. His three siblings, Mercedes, Carlos and Fernando, passed away in 2005, 2006 and 2020, respectively. After extensive training in the running of the family business, Julián joined his father at Bodegas Julián Chivite when he was
21. He has been the driving force behind many of the holding company’s milestones, having worked in all departments: from grape purchasing in the 1970s, to hosting their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain in 2002 when they opened the winery designed by architect Rafael Moneo for Propiedad de Arínzano.
He negotiated the purchase of the Arínzano estate, which no longer belongs to the Group, and of Viña Salceda S.A. in Elciego (Rioja Alavesa). He obtained the Pago classification for Señorío de Arínzano from the Government of Navarre and became the sole distributor of Taittinger champagne in Spain. He has taken part in several forums and bodies such as the “Fundación para la Cultura del Vino” (Foundation for Wine Culture), of which he was a president and co-founder alongside companies such as Vega Sicilia, Marqués de Riscal, Rioja Alta and Cordorniu. For many years he was President of the Asociación de Exportadores de Vinos de Navarra (later to become the Navarre Bodegas Association) and has twice been Vice-President as well as a permanent board member of the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), and a board member, in a personal capacity, of the Committee of Experts nominated by ICEX. He is now CEO of J. Chivite Family Estates, as well as First Vice-President of the FEV.
SW.: We haven’t actually met personally, but our paths have occasionally crossed at events. It’s a pleasure to finally be able to talk to you. So first of all, congratulations on your 375th anniversary! You must be very proud of your family’s history.
It’s true that looking back at what we’ve achieved, I do feel a sense of pride and responsibility. Having managed to create, maintain and develop a brand like Chivite is a great feeling. Especially taking into consideration all of the ups and downs the company has gone through. Despite the economic and socio-political challenges, Chivite has been able to maintain its position as a brand famous in Spain for its unique wines. I
