Oenologist, Sommelier, & Winemaker - La Rioja
Elena Corzana
Born in La Rioja, into a family of viticulturists, Elena’s life has always revolved around wine. After finishing her Oenology studies in France, she worked at wineries in New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, and Australia.
Her travels continued as a Wine Ambassador in China, Russia, and the USA, helping to discover her passion for communication and education.
Elena now specializes in wine tastings, both virtual and physical, and recently began producing her own wine in La Rioja. On top of all that, she is the sommelier at the famed Hotel Palacio Tondón on the Ebro river in Briñas, La Rioja.
SOMMELIER & WINEMAKER - CASTILLA Y LÉON & GALICIA
Luis Miguel Fernández
This man has a nose of gold! Luis Miguel is a well known authority on wine, a sommelier, and owner of El Pecado restaurant & wine-bar in Salamanca. He is also the CEO of Camino del Norte Vinos, working with the world renowned oenologist Raúl Pérez, and founder of Autenticos Viñadores.
Luis Miguel's breadth of knowledge of Spanish wine is one that Albae taps into regularly, that, and his superb wines.
Executive Chef - Toronto
Romain Avril
With good wine, you need good food, and this man knows a thing or two about that. By the age of 21 Chef Romain Avril had already worked in several Michelin star restaurants across Europe.
Classically trained in his native Paris, France, Romain also explored fusion and molecular gastronomy. In 2010, Avril moved to Canada and achieved the position of Executive Chef at La Société Bistro.
Since moving to Toronto Chef Romain Avril has taken part in many projects including the opening of several restaurants, judging for Top Chef Canada, and is the Canadian ambassador for Nespresso & Monogram.
Chef Romain Avril works closely with Albae to plan and execute bespoke tasting dinners paired with our exclusive wines.
Co-Founder
Jose Manuel Aldomar
The heart and soul of Albae Wine Club, Jose Manuel has Spanish wine deeply rooted in his past. He remembers spending summers as a young boy at his father’s family farm in the province of Alicante. Joaquín, a local farmer, would take him out on a horse-drawn cart to the fields and on walks through vineyards where Jose Manuel would sneak grapes directly from the vines.
He is grateful to his parents who, being city-folk from Madrid, made sure he experienced and appreciated the diverse culture and landscapes of Spain, the most biodiverse country in Europe.
At 32 years old, during his professional career at Iberia Airlines, Jose Manuel took the position of General Manager in the provinces of Cádiz, Huelva, and Sevilla, home of the Jerez-Xerès-Sherry DO. He spent 3 glorious years in the land of Albariza soils enjoying the most intriguing and aromatic wines while making what are now some of his oldest friends.
After retiring he decided to pay tribute to Spain by establishing the first Spanish Wine Culture Club in Canada, Albae Wine Club.
Co-Founder
Igor Manuel Aldomar
Much like his father, Igor has fond memories of summers in Spain particularly in Andalusia, where he now has some of his closest friends.
At a young age, he too walked through vineyards picking grapes at his Aunt’s vineyard, near Lyon in France. Igor and his cousins harvested grapes together and labeled thousands of bottles of wine by hand, experiencing the hard work that goes into wine-making.
An industrial designer by education, Igor has worked in and around the Toronto hospitality industry for several years. Through his design background he’s aiming to create a truly unique experience for Albae’s members.
