Martín Faixó Wines: 20 years of fighting to obtain permits to build an underground winery at Cap de Creus

CadaquésConstruction of the new Martín Faixó winery (DO Empordà) on the Sa Perafita hill in Cap Creus will begin next year, in 2026, after a twenty-year struggle to obtain permits. This is how Rafa Martín explains it: son of the beloved Anna Mota, theAnita from Cadaqués, who died last June, and father of winemaker Ester and Rafel Martín Faixó. At the top of the Sa Perafita hill, located a few kilometers before reaching the town of Cadaqués, the family has a farmhouse, converted into a hotel and also a winery. There, in the offices, Rafa and his daughter Ester show the approved plans, which they will finally be able to translate from paper to land. "The road we've traveled hasn't been easy, but we can finally start building it here, right in front of us, where we are right now," says Rafa Martín one bright sunny morning.

Meanwhile, the spaces they have built today offer various options for wine tourism: guided tours, which include breakfast, a visit with a tasting, or a visit with accommodation. "We come from a humble, hard-working family, and our work has been successful thanks to the tourism that Cadaqués receives," Rafa Martín tells a group of visitors, bank employees. They completed a treasure hunt around the farmhouse, in which they had to answer questions about the varieties Martín Faixó grows and the sheep that graze among the vineyards. Before beginning the tests, they had breakfast with tomato bread, cured meats, sobrasada, and anchovies.

With the anchovies we have to stop and eat, because Rafa explains their preparation in detail."Cadaqués anchovies have a unique recipe, and you always have to add salt and black pepper, which will speed up the cooking process," says Rafa Martín, who recounts the recipe step by step from memory in just a few seconds: first, the head of the anchovy is flaked; then, the guts are removed, discarding them. Next, the anchovy is placed in a brine of water and salt. In a jar, place a layer of salt and pepper on the bottom, and the anchovies are placed next to each other, creating curves around the jar. The juice that the anchovies have released while in brine is also placed inside the jar, which must be covered because, otherwise, the anchovies would oxidize. After a year, they are removed from the jar, the bones and skin are removed, and then they can be stored in another jar with extra virgin olive oil.

Humble family, coming from two bars

We return to his family's origins, and Rafa Martín explains that he invests all the money they have. That's why they now want to build a new winery. "When we arrived at Sa Perafita, we adapted to the farmhouse that had been built, which dated back to 1300." The name Sa Perafita refers to its location on the hill between Roses, Cadaqués, and Port de la Selva. "My wife Carme and I bought it in 2004. We both came from two bars in Cadaqués: my wife, from Meliton; I, from Casa Anita." Rafa then explains that they bought the farmhouse because of the obstacles they had at the time to build an underground winery where they have the vineyards.

In addition to the Sa Perafita farmhouse, where you can sleep and eat, the couple also opened the restaurant Can Rafa in 1981, which gave them a name as restaurateurs. "But in Cadaqués, the restaurant that has positioned the town as a gastronomic destination was Sharing, by Mateu Casañas, Eduard Xatruch and Oriol Castro". Tourists go to Cadaqués to eat, and then they settle in other restaurants. That's why Rafa Martín maintains that Compartir has put them on the gourmet map, because customers go to eat at the first restaurant opened by the best in the world, but then they discover others, such as Can Rafa, Enoteca (both family-owned), Baluarte, Salt, Seven, the Norai restaurant at the Hotel Llané Petit... and many more.

Rafa tells the story, but now the group of office workers participating in the treasure hunt ask him about the Ripollesa sheep at Mas Mercè. It's one of the questions they need to answer, and Rafa tells them they have twelve right now, grazing in the vineyards because they eat grass and at the same time fertilize the soil with their droppings. "We're doing a joint project with Manel from Mas Mercè to revive the Ripollesa sheep, which is native to the area. The restaurants Les Cols, in Olot, and Mas Marroc, owned by the Roca brothers, are also participating."

Another question. One of the new wines released this past year: the Joan Dausà wine. "My son Rafael and Joan Dausà are very good friends, and they thought about making a wine together." Ester, the daughter, who is Martín Faixó's winemaker, selected their blend of Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon. And then, after seeing its positive reception, they launched it. "Now we'd like to make a second edition of the wine, but we're still doing the research; we want it to have the same quality as the first one we released," says Ester Martín.

The case, the father continues, is as follows: "We've diversified into different businesses because we can't survive with the winery; hence, we have several restaurants: Can Rafa and also Enoteca MF." "And now we want to position ourselves with our honey and also with Verdal extra virgin olive oil," says Rafa Martín.

Among the winery's notable creations are the vermouth, flavored with herbs and flowers, which received a Girona Excelente award and the Brussels Gold Medal in 2016. "We're gradually expanding our vineyards; we now have eighteen hectares under cultivation, and our goal is to reach twenty."

Finally, the Martín Faixó winery is releasing 70,000 bottles. They harvest all the grapes by hand, and the grape harvest took place in August.