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Vella Terra, celebrating all things natural

11/02/2020 Breaking news

We started the week with a visit to Vella Terra, the Independent Natural Wine Fair of Barcelona, which for the past five years has showcased producers who work under the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture and with little or no intervention.

It brought together more than 140 artisan producers from various parts of Spain as well as France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Georgia, Sweden, United States, Canada and Slovakia. Over the course of two days, they offered all visitors the opportunity to try natural, biodynamic and artisan wines, made using native yeasts, and no chemical products in the vineyard or the winery, unique wines that are an honest reflection of the terroir and the varieties they come from.

Many of these producers also do the important work of recovering the native varieties of each of their “terroirs” and, without neglecting their artisan work, they experiment with different winemaking styles where white and red varieties are no longer kept apart, a revolution that begins with ancient knowledge and is enriched by the passion of these winemakers to find new ways and create new experiences through the things they love and respect so much: the vine and the grape.

Here are three interesting producers that are worth keeping an eye on.

Three natural winemakers that you should take a look at

1. Aldo Viola

Aldo Viola is an interesting Sicilian winemaker who works 16 hectares of vineyards in the Trapani region where he makes his wines with the best grapes from his vineyards and vinifies them using long skin-contact maceration, creating what we know as orange wines.

Aldo Viola y sus vinos naturales en Vella-Terra 2020.

Aldo Viola makes his wines using native varieties with the aim of preserving the identity of the terroir. His wines are a great example of dispelling the myth that natural always means wild and uncontrolled. Aldo Viola’s wines are handmade and complex, but they also express a finesse and elegance that will take away all false assumptions about natural wines. The perfect introduction to this fascinating world of natural wines.

2. Còsmic Vinyaters

Salvador Batlle is a winemaker from another planet who works in two very different parts of Catalonia: Agullana in Alt Empordà and La Serra del Montmell, in Baix Penedès. The names of Salvador’s wines are statements of intent that express everything this young producer feels about his land and about nature. Rounded, pure wine, always made with one variety and produced with minimal intervention. Batlle uses techniques like energy cleansing, sacred geometry and sound vibrations to harmonise the space, people and, above all, the wines that start life in these terroirs. In short, this is winemaking filled with good energy and in tune with nature that results in extraordinary and unique wines.

3. Cascina degli Ulivi

Cascina degli Ulivi is the winery belonging to Stefano Bellotti, one of the great names and pioneers in natural viticulture who unfortunately died very recently at just 59 years old. Bellotti was president of the Rennaissance Biodynamic Wine Growers Association, Italy; a humble, wise and approachable winegrower whose legacy and teachings are now in the hands of his daughter Ilaria Bellotti who still works at Cascina degli Ulivi with the same commitment and passion she learned from her father.

Cascina degli Ulivi y sus vinos italianos naturales.

There they work to increase the presence of the Cortes and Dolcetto grapes, making wines that reflect the Piedmont region whilst also trying to revive the area’s native varieties, creating interesting wines that bring out the full expression of their grapes, always using a philosophy of coexistence between agriculture and nature.

But Vella Terra is not just about wine. Some of the artisans were there to exhibit oils, coffees, breads, ciders and craft beers made with the same philosophy that underpins this exhibition: respect for nature and little or no intervention. We hope that the Vella Terra Fair continues to grow year on year, providing this interesting showcase that celebrates all things natural.

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