Chef Santi Taura welcomes Joan Arboix as Beverage Director of the Santi Taura Grup Santi Taura and Maitre Sumillier of DINS Santi Taura at hotel El Llorenç Parc de la Mar in Palma.
Joan Arboix was born in Mallorca and raised in the family restaurant of 20 years at Ses Coves de Genova. This is where he learned about and was inspired by gastronomy. At a very young age, he had the responsibility keeping the order of bottles in the restaurant’s cellar. At 16, he then ventured out to work in other restaurants on the island.
In 2003 Arboix spent a year in Switzerland to explore the world of international wines on a professional level. Returning to Spain in 2005, he attended the School of Hospitality in Barcelona where he became sommelier at the Roca Brothers MOO Restaurant. Following that, in 2008 he was named ‘Champion of Sommeliers of the Balearic islands’. After completing his formal training, he joined the Hotel Arts as Captain Sommelier working with Chef Sergi Arola who offered him the opportunity to run Atols Restaurant in Santiago Restaurant in Chile. In 2015 he he directed BistrEau of Chef Angel Leon at the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona. In 2016 he returned to his roots and was Head Sommelier of Group Andreu Genestra.
"Joan brings a wealth of expertise and experience from some of the finest restaurants and chefs in Spain and international hotels. We are pleased to have him join the team. At his core he is Majorcan and understands our products, philosophy and approach of cooking. He will help us further develop our cellar and bring his deep knowledge of wines to benefit the experience of our guests," says Santi Taura.
"I hope that through wines, the guests who visits us at DINS, will discover the island's wine wealth. Approaching our wines is a way to understand our history and culture in the same way that Santi does with his philosophy of roots, history, product, in his cooking," says Joan Arboix.
Growing up in a family owned restaurant, when did you first discover that your interest was wine, and that it would be the passion that you pursued? "I was born into a family of restaurateurs. My mother is a cook and my father has been a restaurant manager for over 30 years. At home we had a wine cellar that I helped to sort out. Without even being able to drink wine, the labels fascinated me, I was curious about names, I read books and wine magazines and little by little my interest in the world of wine grew... without ever even trying it!"
"At 18, I had my first job at the Son Vida Hotel and was my first contact with international wines. That combined with my subsequent work with the Roca brothers opened my "hunger" for wine."
To read the entire interview with Joan Arboix, please click here