elBullifoundation counts on Hillebrand to participate in a book entirely devoted to wine care within the restaurant industry

The foundation that carries the name of what was once regarded as the best restaurant in the world, is a private foundation promoted by Ferran Adrià, considered one of the best chefs in the world, and Juli Soler, the restaurateur who made the restaurant elBulli famous. Established on February 7th, 2013, elBullifoundation came out of the need to transform the former Michelin 3-star restaurant elBulli, with a vision based on the desire to continue promoting innovation and creativity through the language of cooking and to preserve the legacy and spirit of elBulli.

The goals set by elBullifoundation aspire to lead a project centered on knowledge, education, business and innovation. One of these projects is Bullipedia, the encyclopedia of the fine dining sector in the restaurant industry.

One of the latest releases of this impressive book collection is the third volume devoted to wine care and handling, “Wine from the market to the menu”.  The book is written by a whole team of professionals, led by Ferran Centelles, a well-known professional in the wine sector with a vast experience as a sommelier, wine writer and journalist, educator and judge, but mostly well-known for being the sommelier at elBulli restaurant.

In this 500-pages book, currently only available in Spanish, there is a chapter about wine logistic and taxes, in which Hillebrand was requested to participate. As a firm believer of educating and sharing knowledge about how wine should be cared for and enjoyed, Hillebrand’s principles are a perfect match to the foundation’s.

Some of the topics covered by Hillebrand are the shipping conditions of wine, which type of transportation is the most appropriate and how will the transfer of responsibilities be carried out. "Wine is a delicate product and, as such, it suffers if the transport conditions are inadequate,” writes Centelles, “sudden changes in temperature or prolonged exposure to light can alter the conditions of the wine."

This 50-page chapter goes into the intricacies of wine shipping, providing clear and useful information about Incoterms and responsibilities, required documentation, customs clearance, taxes and tributes, as well as the impact on costs. The in depth chapter includes a case-study on the journey and costs of shipping a bottle from the Californian wine region of Napa Valley to Barcelona.  

Quim Vila, a wine connoisseur and owner of an import company and a renowned wine boutique in Barcelona starts the book by stating: "Selling wine is one of the most beautiful professions that exist".

As Hillebrand we add: “then shipping wine is the second best”.