In 2016 two New Zealand winemakers looked at the indigenous grapes and old vineyards of Catalonia and decided this was where they wanted to make natural wine. Artesano Vintners is the result.
Backstory
The project was founded by Mike Shepherd and Alex Craighead. Craighead owns Don and Kindeli Wines in Nelson, New Zealand, while Shepherd was working as a winemaker in Barcelona. They sourced organic grapes, found a small space at Bodega La Boella, and made their first two wines: La Benjamina, an ancestral-method sparkler, and Parellatxa, a light red.
The Region
Catalonia, in Spain's northeast, offers an unusual spread of terroirs within a short drive. Artesano draws fruit from Conca de Barbera, Alt Camp and Priorat, ranging from the calcareous interior to the famous schist, or llicorella, of Priorat, all planted to traditional Catalan varieties. That range lets a tiny project play with very different soils and grapes from year to year.
Vineyards & Farming
The pair work with organic and biological grapes from growers across these zones, on soils that include calcareous stone, clay and sand. They build the range around indigenous Catalan grapes: the whites Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada and the reds Garnatxa and the local Parellada-based blends.
Winemaking
This is minimal-intervention winemaking on a small scale, with some cuvees made in batches of just over a thousand bottles. Fermentations run on wild yeasts, some whites see skin contact, aging happens in used French oak, and the wines are made without added sulfites and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The Wines
Bottlings include the Xerinola white, a blend of Macabeu, Parellada and Xarel-lo with partial skin contact, the ancestral La Benjamina, the light red Parellatxa, plus Pardalet and Pam i Pipa. A barrel of a red called Miksei is also made each year with Celler Comunica in Falset.
