Oriol Artigas
CATALUNYA
Alella, a small appellation located on the coast near the northern suburbs of Barcelona, is subject to constant real estate pressure from the Catalan capital. Despite its long history of winemaking, the vineyard area has been reduced greatly in recent years. Nevertheless, Alella's position between mountain and sea has made it an excellent source of white wines. Its need for revitalization is great - Oriol Artigas has become the spearhead of this movement.
After discovering a love for wine, Oriol Artigas first studied, then taught enology, before embarking a wine-growing project which materialized from 2011 around Vilassar de Dalt, his native village, in the heart of the Alella appellation. He planted an area of a dozen hectares, mostly old vines, on a terroir characterized by a soil of white granite sands – called sauló – rich in minerals and by the influence of the sea. The diversity of native grape varieties is significant, with a predominance of Pansa Blanca (the local name for Xarel.lo), as well as the diversity of aspects and microclimates: it is this diversity that Oriol Artigas seeks to express through his viticulture and totally natural vinifications, with as little intervention as possible.
