Fashion designer Teresa Helbig (Barcelona, 1963) receives ARA at the showroom that the brand has on Mallorca Street in Barcelona. Each piece and each object has a story that Helbig explains with passion, vitality, and joy. Happy with the reception the retrospective dedicated to her by the Museo del Traje in Madrid has had –and hoping to be able to bring it to Barcelona as well–, the designer shows an imaginary that has been nourished by everything she has seen, felt, tasted, and drunk.Have you ever heard of Terra Remota? How did you get there?

The harvest is always a special moment for the world of wine. It is the time to gather the fruits of a whole year of work and, traditionally, it is also a cause for celebration. This year, for the Montsant Designation of Origin, this celebration has a special meaning: it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the youngest Catalan designation of origin.

Júlia Riera (Alt Empordà, 1999) is the creator of Daily Catalan, the largest online Catalan learning channel for foreigners. She has just published her first book, Let's Speak Català! (Penguin), which mixes history, language, culture and, as it could not be otherwise, gastronomy.

Josep Bordes (Ulldecona, 1978) is the singer of La Colla Pirata and Pepet i Marieta, a group that is performing its final tour closing concert this Friday. From the Terres de l'Ebre, Bordes took with him a vermouth recipe in five steps and the memory of a bottle of white wine from Batea that he hated as a child and now adores. ARA has interrupted —a mortal sin— his Monopoly game with his son.

I write sitting on a pallet, between open barrels, some already full. I see her, all energy, a burst of vitality, climbed up the ladder, helping with her hands—her arms red with must—to make the grapes slide down. I see him, thoughtful, eating a grape of picapoll and smiling without realizing it, because it is delicious. We bring in “my” grapes, the ones we harvested, the toy ones, and immediately from those purple, compact, very healthy Mandó grapes, a juice springs forth that is a miracle. Up on the tractor, the very white teeth of the lanky young man, who is laughing, enjoying the pleasure of driving a machine, stand out in the darkness of the cellar. “He’s a machine!”, I hear someone say.

Until now, Denmark has been a country recognized for its prestigious interior design firms, its pioneering commitment to sustainability and renewable energy, and for hosting some of the best haute cuisine restaurants in the world in the city of Copenhagen. Probably, when we think of a Scandinavian country, the first image that comes to mind is not that of tasting a glass of wine produced in a local winery. However, due to the effects of climate change, the countries of northern Europe are gaining prominence in wine production, where they see that they have a promising future.This is the case for Danish viticulture, which in the last five years has experienced a notable qualitative leap, driven by a handful of daring and visionary producers pushed by curiosity, who for the first time are managing to produce high-quality wines. This is reaffirmed by the journalist and wine critic for the Danish newspaper Politiken, Thomas Ilkjær, who asserts that the Danish wine sector “is today at a very exciting moment”. 10 years ago, wine production in cold climates like Scandinavia was considered a losing bet, but now the sector is in turmoil: “I believe that in 50 years we will look back and see that we are at the exact moment when everything began to grow,” says Ilkjær.Until now, the long, cold, and dark winters typical of the latitude of the Nordic countries had been the main obstacle to wine production. But global warming has caused the producing countries of southern Europe to face overripe grape berries with a high alcohol content, while Denmark has opened the door to the production of wines "with a marked acidity, a lot of minerality, and great freshness," asserts Ilkjær, a fact that is increasingly convincing gastronomic critics and restaurateurs.Regarding the number of Danish wine producers, in the last two decades it has gone from 10 to 150 professional wineries (with more than 1,000 amateur winegrowers) and new ones emerge every year. This has meant that in just six years the production of Danish wine has tripled and the sector is clearly on the rise. All this, despite the fact that Denmark's history as a wine-producing country only began in the year 2000, when the commercial cultivation of vineyards was approved under European Union regulations.According to the University of Copenhagen, the area dedicated to vineyards in the Nordic country is 250 hectares, of which 90% produce wine certified as organic. But although the production of Danish wine has increased and the quality has improved, the wine industry is still in its early stages, especially if we compare it with other countries like Catalonia, where there are 55,000 hectares of vineyards planted.In our country, a trend among Catalan wine producers to overcome the challenges of heatwaves and unpredictable weather is to relocate wine production by seeking cooler climates, for example by cultivating vineyards on higher mountain slopes, such as in the Pyrenees. In this sense, Danish producers feel they have the effects of climate change in their favor, as climatological studies predict that within 50 years the climatic conditions of the Nordic country could resemble areas of northern France or the Champagne region, with a cool climate, abundant rain, sporadic spring frosts, and warmer summers.Even with the clear effects of global warming, it does not mean that it is now easy to produce wine in Denmark, but "climate change has made it possible, or at least it has helped to improve the quality of the wines," says Ilkjær. Currently, the growing season in the Nordic country begins in April and the harvest does not take place until October, when the grapes have already ripened. During these months, the average temperature is about 13 degrees, an increase of 0.8 degrees compared to the 1960-1990 period. Regarding this, it is estimated that sunshine hours have increased by 15% on average, a decisive factor for producing wine. However, "we still have a cool climate, with the risk that some years it may be practically impossible to make wine, therefore, it is a challenge that one cannot fully rely on the climate, and this makes it difficult for producers to risk everything in a business as uncertain as wine production in Denmark," asserts Ilkjær.Most of the vineyards in Denmark are located no less than 10 km from the Baltic Sea and North Sea coast, spread across the country, from the Jutland peninsula to the island of Bornholm. The most used variety for white wine production is Solaris, appreciated for its resistance to cold weather, as well as for its early ripening capacity. Regarding red wines, the Rondo variety stands out especially, widely spread in Germany and the south of England. But if Danish wines are achieving greater projection it is thanks to the production of sparkling wines, which already represents nearly 20% of the country's total production.“A dream and a challenge to make wine here”

Amidst a green landscape, winding roads that cross small villages, and ancient stately castles, the island of Funen (Fyn) holds a postcard charm. In this bucolic location lies the By Stokkebye estate, a family winery that produces 20,000 bottles of one of the country's most prestigious sparkling wines each year. “It all started as a hobby in 2009”, for me it was like a dream and a challenge to be able to plant wine here, but I was sure I could achieve it, says Jacob Stokkebye, who runs the winery together with his wife, Helle. However, the path was not easy, and in the beginning, they had to throw away the wine because the quality was not good enough. This led Jacob to seek advice from French wine producers, who have helped him craft a wine inspired by the traditional champagne method.Today, the winery is one of the few that chooses to plant the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties, even though they are less adapted to the rainy climate and frozen winters: "Part of our success is that we are located next to the sea where the wind always blows, this helps to dry the rain from the vineyard quickly," says Jacob.

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The journalist Èric Lluent (Barcelona, 1986) tries not to think too much about the distance separating him from his native Gràcia. Arriving in Reykjavík for the first time ten years ago, he is now preparing a podcast about the origins of modern terrorism, an interest that was already hinted at in La bomba del Liceu (Ara Llibres, 2026), his latest essay, which talks about the man who planted the bomb at the Gran Teatre.

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Although she has lived in Museros for thirty years and is moved by the neighbors taking the cool air on the street, the writer Gemma Pasqual (Almoines, 1967) considers herself an unashamed city dweller. The author, who was vice-president of Acció Cultural del País Valencià and is especially known for her works of youth literature, defines herself as a "pleasure-seeker" and explains that, concerning vermouth, she likes everything, even the lemon peel.

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The art director Jordi Dalmau (Granollers, 1975) speaks as if his mind were in constant effervescence. Known as the "boy of the wings" in the world of bridal design, he has returned to his hometown after years of successes and difficulties in Madrid. He now divides his time between Catering Lebrija, with whom he prepares "crazy and creative" weddings; the design of a grass-scented cosmetic, and La Floristeria, the café-florist shop he runs in the city. At the moment we are having this conversation, however, what excites him most is ube, the Filipino drink he discovered on TikTok and which is already a hit at his bar.The world of bridal fashion must be a world full of champagne.

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Are you one of those who put an ice cube in a glass of wine when it's hot? Some do it to cope better and others consider it sacrilege, but the fact is that summer lends itself to letting go and, little by little, reservations about chilling wine with ice cubes are being lost. In Catalonia, the hospitality industry's experience is that foreign customers are more accustomed to asking for it, while local customers also dare to, but try to do so more discreetly. Whether you like it or not, drinking wine with ice cubes also reminds us that historically wine has not been drunk neat as has been imposed in recent decades with the improvement of its quality.Heatwaves are becoming more persistent and, although the only liquid remedy that truly mitigates their effects is water, anything that is consumed very cold seems to help. Although there are few wineries that have products specifically designed to be consumed with ice cubes and even in a large glass, such as Ice cavas or a new transparent Aragonese wine, the act of mixing wine and ice has been around for a long time and is rooted in combinations like sangria and the black summer cocktail (tinto de verano). Now with the popularization of the spritz, the orange cocktail that also has a wine component –prosecco if you're being canonical– the appeal of drinks with ice that are less alcoholic than distillates like gin and tonic has skyrocketed.Prejudices are lost (especially in private)

The wine produced nowadays is of high quality and, in this country, one of those with the most winemaking tradition in the world, the act of pouring ice cubes into a glass of wine is not a practice that everyone foresees, but there are already those who have let themselves go and put it into practice. The Wine Truck is a mobile wine bar that takes part in gastronomic, cultural, and private events, such as weddings. After five years, its co-owner, Sara Fernández, perceives that now "there is a little less prejudice, especially in more private venues," while "in more public settings, it's as if there's social shame in breaking the rules of the wine world".Since they do not have the same infrastructure as a restaurant and work outdoors, at weddings, for example, putting some ice cubes in the glass is one of the solutions so that guests do not have to refill it often and to prevent it from warming up too quickly. "The international client is the one who directly asks for ice cubes and does so casually: for him, it is not a sacrilege to put ice in it," assures Fernández, and he may even ask to add a slice of orange to the wine, which is usually reserved here for vermouth or other garnishes, such as putting basil and strawberry in a red wine, and ice, of course.

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Francesc Serés (Saidí, 1972) is a writer. Author, among many others, of La pell de la frontera, La casa de foc –Proa Novel Prize and Llibreter Prize–, La mentida més bonica and El primer any, he has been living in Graz for almost three years, about two hours by car from Vienna. Serés' relationship with wine is marked by a bad relationship with sulfites and distrust towards those sold as "100% sulfite-free".

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Arrives at El Celler de Can Roca cycling, with a backpack on her back. “In my locker I always have a change of clothes for cycling and another for street wear, and a towel to be able to arrive, shower and get ready. The curtain opens: I put on the service uniform. It closes: I put on the cycling outfit”. Marta Cortizas (Culleredo, A Coruña, 1992) is a sommelier with a meteoric career. She arrived in Girona in 2021 with a single suitcase and her bicycle for a four-month stage alongside Pitu Roca. She hasn't left since: in 2024 she was recognized as the best sommelier in Catalonia and in 2025, of the entire State and the Iberian Peninsula.

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David Janer (Granollers, 1973) repeats himself: he has not abandoned his acting career. Known for his roles in Águila Roja, Amar es para siempre and El cor de la ciutat, he combines his acting vocation with the dissemination of two worlds that have passionate him for years: philosophy – especially classical – and wine, in the series Enológica, which will premiere its third season, and on his social networks. Aware of the power of union and conversation of the drink, when invited to dinner at home Janer always brings a book or a bottle of wine.

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Joan Pera (Mataró, 1948) has one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in Catalonia. Sixty years on stage and a long history of memorable characters and voice acting do not prevent him from assuring, with laughter, that he is not "a very good actor." A defender of authenticity, in conversation, on stage, and at the table, the actor sees in wine a magic similar to that which he sees in theater.Where is this magic found?

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Ramon Tremosa i Balcells (Sant Boi de Llobregat, 1965) is an economist and university professor and has been, for more than a decade, one of the regular faces of Catalan politics: Member of the European Parliament (2009-2019), Member of Parliament, Minister of Business with Torra and councilor in Barcelona with Trias. Panelist on Betevé and 3Cat, independent director of Aena and son of a mother from Pla d'Urgell and a father from Ribagorça, he has made high-altitude wines from Pallars a personal mission.

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The wine made by Eva Vega and her father, José Antonio Vega, from Vilanova de Prades (Conca de Barberà) has already received different gold medals at the Brussels World Competition, but this year their Viern 2015 has even obtained the Revelation Wine of Spain Award, which the same jury only grants to 14 wines out of the 6,700 presented. This wine, which is one of the many produced by the Vega Aixalà winery, fed by a 10.5-hectare vineyard, will go on sale in the coming days.

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“Art, architecture, and agriculture have many common enthusiasts and nourish each other. That's why we want to be a world-class cultural destination”. Christian Bourdais and Eva Albarrán are owners of contemporary art galleries in Madrid and Maó, but they have added a third one outdoors in Queretes, in Matarranya. “The only solution to the crisis facing the wine world is to integrate interests,” warns Bourdais. That's why they are betting on Venta d’Aubert, an enological project that celebrates forty years today and which, in its beginnings, was driven by Álvaro Palacios and Josep Lluís Pérez, references in Priorat. The first owners were Swiss. Upon reaching their eighties, they are looking for a successor. Preserving the spirit of the place was non-negotiable, and so four years ago they handed over the management to the gallerists Bourdais and Albarrán. From the beginning, there has been the idea that the winery should be a collective and living project, dialoguing with the natural heritage of Matarranya and the Ports of Tortosa-Beseit, “without the arrogance of ownership,” insists Christian Bourdais. And he adds: “I don't understand why this landscape is not more recognized. If they had it two hours from London or Paris, it would be the most expensive place in the world. Here, on the other hand, it is part of the depopulated Spain, but the most relevant thing is that it is authentic”.

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The actor Pep Plaza (Mataró, 1972) has shown his face (literally) and lent his voice to many of the biggest names in Catalan and Spanish culture, politics, and sports. The man who has been Pedro Sánchez and Pep Guardiola, Joan Pera and Albert Om, is also the protagonist of El substitut, a show he premiered at the Teatre Borràs in 2023 and continues to perform this summer in various locations. But Plaza has not only dedicated himself to the stage; his work as an insurance salesman also led him, unexpectedly, to wine, a world he already knew from childhood.

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I call my friend Jordi Crusellas, who grows grapes for the Artés cooperative, in Bages, when I hear that his area has caught fire. He answers me, distraught, from the tractor, and immediately sends me a video of the flames licking his picapoll vineyard. The vineyard acted as a firebreak. And so it happened with the Empordà fires a few years ago, too: the vineyards (Garbet, from Peralada, Anna Espelt's...) were natural firebreaks. "I was stunned," he explains to me later, with a little more calm, "by how the flames jumped over the vineyard and continued on the other side. Thanks to the vineyard, the fire was not so virulent and aggressive".

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Victor von Schwarz (his surname in German means "black"; Sabadell, 1988) is the artistic name of the fashion designer who has dressed some of the most popular artists on the music scene, such as Aitana, Lola Índigo or Rosalía, and who is part of the Shein X program. The designer has matured an androgynous style —influenced by his time in Taiwan—, with a constant presence of pink and "cute aesthetics, which was reflected in the pink jersey-top that Rosalía wore in the music video for Milionària. For wine, Von Schwarz is true to his brand: when he can choose, he chooses black.

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