Cheers to 50 years: Freixenet’s Cordón Negro celebrates with a new logo and refreshed bottling

Freixenet’s famous Cava, Cordón Negro, is celebrating with a new logo and refreshed bottling as it looks over its milestone half-century

This year marks a milestone anniversary for Cordón Negro, Freixenet’s famous Cava. The iconic black bottle has celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new image and refreshed premium packaging, along with a new logo for Freixenet.

The sophisticated sparkler, with its iconic frosted black matte bottle, first burst onto the scene in 1974, when it was created by José Ferrer, current honorary president of Freixenet. A blend of three grape varieties from Penedès – Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel·lo – its creation anticipated and adapted to consumer tastes in order to appeal in particular to European consumers. Cordón Negro was the first Cava to be fermented at a controlled temperature, a development that helped enhance its aromas and freshness, and that made it stand out among its peers.

The brand’s young and fresh appeal, sophisticated bottle and avant-garde advertising strategy – its ‘bottle-shaped car ’, for example, has appeared as an innovative promotional tool that has toured multiple countries – played a crucial role in its global expansion. It very quickly became the bestselling imported sparkling wine in the US in 1983, followed by the UK, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and France. By 1985, the success of Cordón Negro had propelled Freixenet to the number one spot of leading Cava producers, and the wine became the UK’s number one sparkling wine in 1992. By 2019, it had reached the top spot in sparkling wine sales in France, an impressive feat.

Within three years, Cordón Negro hit a record 100 export countries, making it the most exported Cava in the world – boosted no doubt by its role as the official Cava of the spectacular 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. It even became the first sparkling wine to reach outer space, accompanying cosmonaut Yelena Kondakova on the MIR Space Station in 1994, and fuelled an adrenaline rush as the official sparkling wine sponsor of the MotoGP Awards in 2003.

As part of its 50th anniversary, Freixenet Cordón Negro is debuting a rejuvenated design and image fit for the occasion, featuring the new Freixenet logo.

The more premium design has also boosted the brand’s sustainable practices, by slashing the use of plastic – the standard bottle has dispensed with lamination on the front label, while the mini-bottles have been made lighter. “We are delighted with the new design,” says Pedro Ferrer, co-CEO and vice president of Freixenet Group. “It’s more premium, it’s safer, it’s more distinctive. It will distinguish Freixenet from the competition and reinforce our reputation as an innovative, progressive and customer-centric brand.”

Meanwhile, the new logo is inspired by the unique mosaic façade of Cavas Freixenet in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, designed by the architect Joan Torras Puig, with the dynamic letter X providing an unmistakable emblem of the brand’s quality. It represents the enduring values that are the foundation of the 110-year-old brand and the keys to its future success, and has been found to resonate strongly with consumers, according to Martina Obregón, global CMO at Freixenet. “The Freixenet brand is not just a label for our iconic products, it is an emotional experience that represents their aspirations and attitude to life, carefully crafted to convey our brand values in a crowded market,” she says.

“It will also attract a new audience, ensuring the sustained growth and relevance of our brand for years to come.”