Celler Cooperatiu de Pinell de Brai

The winery of the Sindicat Agrícola del Pinell de Brai is, for many, the Wine Cathedral par excellence. A building meant to evoke and spread a feeling of prosperity in raw, difficult times, after phylloxera had swept through the area.

Building the cooperative winery was full of difficulties and setbacks, but the tenacity, idealism and energy with which the members sustained and drove it, and the passion with which the growth of the building was watched and discussed, show that way of being, both headstrong and lively, typical of the people of these parts. Brave people who knew how to turn their work into art, with a very high investment for those times, and who left the legacy of a magnificent work for posterity.

The layout of its naves (a central one, two side ones and a fourth above the central one) would only need an apse to form the plan of a Christian temple. It is here in Pinell de Brai that Cèsar Martinell, its architect, deployed the whole aesthetic and stylistic arsenal at his disposal.

The arrangement of its parabolic arches, with the perforated spandrels typical of Martinell, used as raised walkways to reach the top of the vats, makes a surprising architectural spectacle and a conception of space that radiates light and lightness.

Outside, the look of the main façade is nothing less than majestic. The stone surrounds of the doors and the large windows with moulded brick mullions stand out. So does the green glazed ceramic crowning the three naves and, above all, the ceramic frieze by Xavier Nogués, depicting everyday scenes around the vineyard, oil, the winemaking process and its consumption.

Don't miss

• The beautiful architectural spectacle of the forest of arches and counter-arches inside.
• The ceramic frieze that runs for over 40 metres along the main façade of the winery, the work of Xavier Nogués, one of the most representative artists of Catalan Noucentisme.
• The majesty of the building as a whole, designed as a great rural monument.
• Lunch in its restaurant, after visiting the winery and tasting its wines.
• Discover the helical staircase, supported on iron profiles with a flat-brick vault, which connects the machine room with the roof terrace.

Winery fact sheet

• Year of construction: 1919-1922
• Architect: Cèsar Martinell i Brunet
• Designation of origin: DO Terra Alta
• Main varieties: Garnacha Blanca and Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Macabeo, Syrah, Carignan, Muscat and Ull de llebre
• Visit languages: Visits are offered in Catalan, Spanish, English, French and Russian. Visits in English, French and Russian are given with an audioguide.
• Shop opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 10:00 to 19:00; except Saturday: 10:00 to 20:00.

Contact and bookings

• C/ Pilonet, 8, 43594 Pinell de Brai
• (+34) 977 42 62 34
• bodega@catedraldelvi.com
• www.catedraldelvi.com