This is tough to envision, but imagine if you can: the plight of the thousands of families and farmers, and the outright devastation that occurred when Phyloxerra hit Europe in the late 1860s. The tiny aphid hitchhiked from North America to eat grapevine roots, and in the mid- to late-1800s, the root-attacking louse came close to wiping grapevines from the face of the earth. Only a few places on the planet were not touched by this tiny attacker.
For many, so much loss to their land and livelihood meant so much despair.
Rising up again after Phyloxerra
European winemakers had to dig up their ancient vineyards, and replant them with American roots.
In the small village of Nulles in Catalonia, the entire livelihood was wiped out. To recover, the residents determined the best way forward would be to work together and pool assets and talent. The Nulles’ wine cellar, with the Cathedral, represents unity of the people of Nulles who decided to unify the resources and knowledge to create a trade union, and then build a cellar for the village, Nulles’ Wine Cathedral. This was in 1917, and the first harvest to fill the new wine tanks was in 1920.
The cathedral itself is an emblematic building, a work by Cèsar Martinell i Brunet and it’s one of the greatest examples of the modernist movement. Not only does it stand out for its beauty, but also it has everything necessary for wine production. It looks like a church, but it is purpose-built for wine production.
The purpose built wine cathedral in Nulles, Spain
In this trade union there are 400 vineyard hectares, shared among almost 100 partners. Today the roots are nourished by a rich clay and lime soil that receives little precipitation, resulting in a lower but more concentrated grape production, which has become a key feature of these wines.
As noted, eventually the replant and construction led to the initial 1920 bottling in Nulles. In Nulles they mainly produce local white varieties, namely Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Moscatell. In recent years other varieties have been introduced, such as the Parellada and Chardonnay among the white varieties, and the Ull de LLebre, and Merlot red varieties.
In 1987 Adernats emerged as the brand that represents Nulles and the generations of vine growers that enabled this process. Adernats, its name coming from the closest fields to the cellar, remains after 30 years as the wine and cava brand of reference in Tarragona.
Our #winelover delegation visited the wine cathedral to see firsthand how the wine cathedral came to be. We were told about how, when the villagers were coming together to build the winery, if they did not have grapes or money to contribute, then they labored and helped with the construction. They literally laid the bricks and the building was a true community effort.
We were invited to the crush pad for a taste – and to accompany the wine samples, we were offered roasted hazelnuts, bread, and delicious, fresh olive oil from the estate.
#winelover-s enjoying Adernats wines
The wines we tasted were:
Seduccio
This is a blended white wine of Moscatel, Xarel·lo and Chardonnay. In English, “Seduction” grabs you first with a super fragrant muscat nose, and the palate is full and fresh with lots of fruit and juiciness. I got floral, peach and orange.
Essencia
This is 100% Xarel lo – a white grape indigenous to Catalonia, and often used in Cava. In this case, the wine was fermented in oak barrels and this gave the wine body and structure. On the palate there is ripe white fruit and a slight toast from the oak.
Adernats Cava Reserva Brut
Cava! We were all very excited to have sparkling wine; this one made from Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada, made in the traditional method and aged for 20 months. The bubbles are fine, and aromas and palate of green apple, citrus, and dried fruit.
Enjoyed in the sunshine, I raised my glass to those tenacious farmers and wine growers who cooperated to bring this wine cathedral and the wines of Adernats to success.