The Familia Torres Foundation has granted its first Excellence in Sommellerie Scholarship to Camila Silva Garcia, a first-year student of the University Advanced Diploma in Sommellerie at CETT-UB, the international university centre for education, research and knowledge transfer in tourism, hospitality and gastronomy, affiliated with the University of Barcelona (UB). 

The scholarship, which covers 100% of the tuition feesfor the programme, is the first to be awarded under the new collaboration agreement between the Familia Torres Foundation and CETT-UB, signed one year ago. This agreement aims to promote specialised training in sommellerie and wine tourism and to support young talent in the sector. 

As part of this partnership, in addition to the scholarship itself, the collaboration between the Familia Torres Foundation and CETT includes several key initiatives designed to enhance students’ learning experience:

1. Educational visit to the family winery in Penedès, enabling students to gain first-hand insight into the region’s winegrowing and wine tourism reality. 

2. Provision of wines for tastings held at CETT-UB, allowing students to deepen their sensory and technical skills. 

3. Up to three specialised masterclasses on viticulture, oenology and sustainability, delivered by Familia Torres’ oenologists and sommeliers. 

Presentation of the first Excellence in Sommellerie Scholarship

The scholarship award ceremony took place on 8 January at the Familia Torres Visitor Centre in Pacs del Penedès, bringing together representatives from both institutions. 

The recognition awarded to Camila Silva Garcia was presented by Mireia Torres, President of the Familia Torres Foundation, and was attended by Dr Maria Abellanet, President of CETT; Elisabet Ferrer, Managing Director of CETT; and Natàlia Roig, Coordinator of CETT’s University Extension Courses in Gastronomy, who all wished to accompany the student at this key milestone in her academic career. 

During the event, Mireia Torres stated: “With this scholarship, we want to support young people who share our passion for wine and wine tourism and to reward excellence. Our collaboration with CETT allows us to contribute to a training model that is a benchmark for the sector and to strengthen the connection between winery, territory and gastronomy.” 

On behalf of CETT-UB, Dr. Maria Abellanet remarked: “At CETT, we understand talent as the combination of knowledge, experience and direct contact with producers and the territory, all of which are key elements in sommellerie training. Our solid and long-term collaboration with the Familia Torres Foundation, both in the classroom and through visits and this scholarship, enables us to nurture young talent and reinforce a shared commitment to excellence in education, rooted in the territory and focused on the future of the sector.”