In the village of Marca, deep in DO Montsant, the Vendrell family makes small quantities of organic wine from old vines they tend themselves. The full name on the label is Celler Vendrell Rived.
Backstory
The winery was founded in 2000 in Marca, in southwestern Catalonia. It is family-owned and run by Josep Maria Vendrell and Nuria Barcelo, working vineyards rooted in the surrounding villages.
The Region
Marca lies within DO Montsant, the appellation that wraps around Priorat. The family's parcels are scattered across Marca and neighboring Capcanes, spanning varied soils and sun orientations that give each wine its own character.
Vineyards and Farming
The family farms roughly 25 hectares of predominantly old vines, all organically and all worked by hand. The plantings are led by Garnatxa (Grenache) and Carinyena (Carignan) for the reds, with white Garnatxa and Macabeo for the whites.
Winemaking
The wines are made in small quantities and aged in French oak. Some cuvees are made naturally, with no added sulfites, including Grenache from the family's own vineyard in Marca.
The Wines
The range runs from the white Rebuf and the young single-variety Miloca bottlings through Sere, a partly aged red, to L'Alleu and La Miloquera, old-vine wines given longer aging.
