Josep Roca is the Spanish Catalan sommelier and restaurateur widely recognised as one of the most-decorated sommeliers in modern global gastronomy and the wine director of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain. Born in 1966 in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, Josep is the middle of the three Roca brothers and runs El Celler de Can Roca alongside his eldest brother Joan Roca (head chef savoury) and youngest brother Jordi Roca (pastry chef). Josep curates the restaurant’s celebrated wine cellar and pairing programmes, and has co-led El Celler de Can Roca to three Michelin stars and twice to No 1 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Josep Roca’s 2025-2026 work continues at El Celler de Can Roca, which retained its three Michelin stars and the Michelin Green Star in the 2026 Spain Michelin Guide announced at the November 2025 Michelin Gala. Recent international press coverage including the August 2025 Nolita Harbour feature on the cellar design has continued to spotlight Josep’s curation work. The restaurant has held three Michelin stars continuously since 2009, and 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the original 1986 restaurant opening alongside his brothers. He continues as one of the most-respected sommeliers in modern global gastronomy.
TL;DR
- Spanish Catalan sommelier born 1966 in Girona, Catalonia
- Middle of three Roca brothers at El Celler de Can Roca
- Wine director and sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca since 1986
- Three Michelin stars + Green Star continuously since 2009
- World’s 50 Best No 1 in 2013 and 2015
- 2026: 40th anniversary; restaurant retains three Michelin stars
Josep Roca key facts
| Born | 1966, Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish (Catalan) |
| Brothers | Joan Roca (head chef), Jordi Roca (pastry chef) |
| Restaurant | El Celler de Can Roca, Girona (co-founded 1986) |
| Role | Sommelier and wine director |
| Michelin status | Three Michelin stars + Green Star continuously since 2009 |
| Major awards | Worlds 50 Best No 1 (2013, 2015); Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality 2017 |
Early life and training of Josep Roca
Josep Roca was born in 1966 in Girona, in the Catalan region of Spain, the middle of three brothers in a family that operated the Can Roca restaurant in the Taiala suburb of Girona. The childhood in the family restaurant became the formative influence on his subsequent career, and he has spoken in multiple interviews about the bridge between the Catalan family-restaurant tradition and modern wine and hospitality.
Josep attended the Escola d’Hosteleria de Girona in the early 1980s for formal hospitality training, where he subsequently developed a particular focus on wine and sommelier craft. The Escola period gave him classical Catalan and Spanish hospitality training alongside the wine education that has anchored his subsequent career as one of the most-decorated sommeliers in modern global gastronomy.
In 1986 Josep joined his elder brother Joan in opening El Celler de Can Roca in a small dining room next to their parents’ Can Roca restaurant in Girona. Josep took the role of sommelier and wine director from the beginning, and has continued in that role for more than four decades. The El Celler de Can Roca wine cellar has become one of the most-celebrated restaurant wine programmes globally, and Josep’s curation has anchored the restaurant’s sustained reputation for wine excellence.
Josep Roca career timeline
- 1966: Born in Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Early 1980s: Escola d’Hosteleria de Girona for formal hospitality training
- 1986: Co-opens El Celler de Can Roca with elder brother Joan
- 1995: First Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 1997: Younger brother Jordi Roca joins as pastry chef
- 2002: Second Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2007: Restaurant moves to dedicated premises in Girona
- 2009: Third Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2013: El Celler de Can Roca No 1 in World’s 50 Best Restaurants
- 2015: El Celler de Can Roca No 1 in World’s 50 Best Restaurants (second time)
- 2017: Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award
- 2017: Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomia awarded to Josep and brothers
- 2018: Inducted into World’s 50 Best Best of the Best
- 2020-2022: Restaurant continues operations through Covid-19 pandemic
- 2024: Three Michelin stars and Green Star retained 2024
- August 2025: Nolita Harbour cellar-design feature
- 2025: Three Michelin stars and Green Star retained 2025
- November 2025 Michelin Gala: Three Michelin stars confirmed for 2026
- 2026: 40th anniversary of original restaurant opening
- 2026: Three Michelin stars and Green Star retained Spain Michelin Guide 2026
Josep Roca signature style: poetic wine curation and Catalan hospitality
Josep Roca’s central argument, developed across more than four decades from 1986 onwards, is that wine curation at the highest level requires not just technical knowledge but poetic and emotional engagement with each bottle. The El Celler de Can Roca wine cellar under Josep’s curation is widely cited as one of the most distinctive restaurant wine cellars globally, anchored in Catalan, Spanish and global wine traditions and arranged for what he has described as poetic experience.
The second defining element is the equilateral-triangle three-brother partnership with Joan Roca on the savoury side and Jordi Roca on the dessert side. Josep contributes the wine and hospitality leg of the triangle, and the model has anchored El Celler de Can Roca’s sustained four-decade success.
The third pillar is the sustained wine pairings and hospitality leadership. The 2017 Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award recognised Josep’s hospitality work specifically. Within the global three-Michelin-star sommelier cohort Josep Roca sits alongside peers including the leading sommeliers at Martin Berasategui and other Spanish three-star restaurants as one of the defining figures in modern Spanish wine and hospitality.
Notable Josep Roca work
Several Josep Roca projects have become reference points in modern global wine and hospitality. The El Celler de Can Roca wine cellar (curated since 1986) is his defining work and one of the most-celebrated restaurant wine programmes globally. The 2017 Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award recognised his hospitality work specifically. The 2013 and 2015 World’s 50 Best No 1 placings established El Celler de Can Roca globally. The Roca brothers’ BBVA-sponsored international tours through the 2010s extended the restaurant’s wine and hospitality programmes globally. The August 2025 Nolita Harbour cellar-design feature documents the cellar’s contemporary curation.
Josep Roca awards and recognition
- 1986: Co-opens El Celler de Can Roca with elder brother Joan
- 1995: First Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2002: Second Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2009: Third Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2013: World’s 50 Best No 1 (first time)
- 2015: World’s 50 Best No 1 (second time)
- 2017: Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award
- 2017: Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomia (with brothers)
- 2018: Inducted into World’s 50 Best Best of the Best
- August 2025: Nolita Harbour cellar-design feature
- 2025: Three Michelin stars and Green Star retained 2025
- November 2025 Michelin Gala: Three Michelin stars confirmed for 2026
- 2026: Three Michelin stars and Green Star retained 2026
- 2026: 40th anniversary of restaurant opening
Josep Roca impact on modern global wine and hospitality
Josep Roca’s most concrete contribution is the El Celler de Can Roca wine cellar under his curation since 1986. The cellar is widely cited as one of the most distinctive restaurant wine cellars globally, and Josep’s wine curation has anchored the restaurant’s sustained reputation for wine excellence across more than four decades.
The second contribution is the equilateral-triangle three-brother partnership with Joan Roca and Jordi Roca. The model has been cited as one of the most successful chef-family partnerships in modern global gastronomy, and Josep’s wine and hospitality leg has been central to the partnership’s sustained four-decade success.
The third contribution is the 2017 Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award and the sustained hospitality leadership at El Celler de Can Roca. Within the global three-Michelin-star cohort Josep sits alongside peers including Martin Berasategui as one of the defining figures in modern Spanish wine and hospitality.
Josep Roca FAQ
What does Josep Roca do at El Celler de Can Roca?
Josep Roca is the sommelier and wine director at El Celler de Can Roca, and has held the role since the restaurant opened in 1986. He curates the restaurant’s celebrated wine cellar and the wine pairings that accompany the tasting menus, and is widely recognised as one of the most-decorated sommeliers in modern global gastronomy.
Did Josep Roca win an award for hospitality?
Yes. Josep Roca and El Celler de Can Roca won the Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award in 2017 from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The award recognised the restaurant’s hospitality work specifically, and Josep’s leadership of the front-of-house and wine programmes was central to the recognition.
How old is the El Celler de Can Roca cellar?
The wine cellar dates from the original 1986 opening of El Celler de Can Roca, and Josep Roca has curated it continuously for more than 40 years. The cellar moved alongside the restaurant to its dedicated premises in 2007, and 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the original opening.
Are the Roca brothers still together?
Yes. Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca continue to run El Celler de Can Roca together as the equilateral-triangle three-brother partnership that has anchored the restaurant since 1986. The model has been cited as one of the most successful chef-family partnerships in modern global gastronomy.
Does El Celler de Can Roca have three Michelin stars?
Yes. El Celler de Can Roca retained three Michelin stars and Michelin Green Star in the 2026 Spain Michelin Guide announced at the November 2025 Michelin Gala. The restaurant has held three stars continuously since 2009, more than 16 years.
What is next for Josep Roca
El Celler de Can Roca continues with three Michelin stars and Green Star in Girona through 2026, marking the 40th anniversary of the original 1986 opening. The restaurant’s official website (cellercanroca.com) is the best source for current updates.
