October 06, 2025 - 1 comments
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As Raisin ambassadors for Catalonia, we—Maite and Toni from @topcatalanrestaurants—recently joined Núria Renom for a harvest day in the heart of Penedès, one of Europe’s most historic wine regions. With more than 2,700 years of documented viticulture, dating back to Phoenician and Greek times, this land has always lived and breathed wine.
The day began early, before the August heat took over, harvesting Chardonnay from a vineyard planted in 1984. These vines grow on calcareous soils in Vinya Argelí at Can Barceló, 420 meters above sea level, with a north-facing exposure that brings freshness and character. Among the rows, we met Núria and her partner Arola, both working side by side with the same passion and dedication.
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From the very first moment, one thing was clear: everything here is done with respect. All grapes are grown organically, yields are kept intentionally low, and in the cellar, everything is natural—wild yeast fermentations, no additives, no shortcuts. Each cuvée is produced in very limited quantities, always dry, always saline, always pure.
Núria’s journey is as singular as her wines. She began in 2014, making wine from a tiny rented vineyard and farmhouse in the Garraf Natural Park while still working as a sommelier at Barcelona’s iconic Bar Brutal. In 2021, she took a decisive step forward by moving to Les Cantarelles, a historic 16-hectare estate in Sant Martí Sarroca surrounded by 150 hectares of forest. This new home, perched above the Alt Penedès, has allowed her to isolate herself, rethink everything, and become a more reflective, uncompromising version of herself.
Her wines, like her, are unapologetic. They are wild. Saline. Transparent. Above all, pure and deeply personal. Each bottle captures not only the terroir of Penedès but also Núria’s own intensity, freedom, and passion.
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After the morning in the vineyard, Núria and Arola warmly opened the doors of their home at Les Cantarelles. We shared some of Núria’s wines together while waiting for the tractor to deliver the freshly picked grapes to Mas Guineu, the cooperative cellar where she vinifies alongside like-minded growers.
Mas Guineu has its own long history. Set 400 meters above sea level in the Foix river basin, the original farmhouse had its own winery. Around 1890, during the phylloxera crisis, it expanded to meet the demand of a wine-thirsty France. Chestnut barrels were added in the 1950s, concrete tanks in 1975. Today, Josep and Lorena have revived the estate, making their own wines and welcoming independent natural winemakers like Núria. Each producer has their own space, their own freedom, and, above all, a profound sense of respect among peers.
The afternoon stretched long as crates of Chardonnay were pressed and fermentation began naturally with indigenous yeasts. By the end of the day, exhausted but fulfilled, we reflected on the intensity and meaning of harvest.
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Harvesting with Núria was not just about cutting grapes. It was about witnessing the passion and resilience that define natural winemaking. Núria lives wine as an extension of herself, sommelier, vigneronne, free spirit, using natural wine as her language to tell stories of land, people, and life. Her wines are alive. Unmasked. Transparent. They are meant not only to be drunk but to be felt.
To all grape growers working these long harvest days: you are not only picking fruit, you are harvesting months of care, patience, and hope. Every crate you fill carries tradition, history, and the promise of tomorrow’s toast. Thank you for putting your hands, heart, and soul into it, because without you, wine simply wouldn’t have the same life.
