Sílvia Bel (Barcelona, 1970) believes in authenticity and naturalness, and practices them. The actress, who has graced the major theaters of the Catalan scene and is currently known for her role as Marta in Com si fos ahir, alternates maximum expressiveness –gestural and linguistic– with introspective silence. Bel understands the arts as a space for sincere expression, far from affectations and hypocrisies; and it is also in this way that she speaks of gastronomy and wine.They made a Ribera del Duero for his daughter, Ainara Elejalde. How does Sílvia Bel imagine the wine?

It is difficult to think of happiness in Catalonia without this name coming to mind. Tortell Poltrona (Barcelona, 1955) has just returned from Ukraine. In the words that the Rokada association has dedicated to Clowns Without Borders for his stay, there is a precise synthesis of a lifetime dedicated to the happiness of others: the gratitude for offering children not only laughter, but "the reminder that joy is still possible". Tortell Poltrona —or rather, Jaume Mateu— says he is getting old. But this does not inhibit his desire to keep traveling, nor does it prevent him from moving forward before he can ask the first question.The clown is like wine. Did you know that?

The writer Najat El Hachmi (Beni Sidel, 1979) responds gracefully to the proposal of this interview: "You invite me to weddings." The winner of, among others, the Ramon Llull, City of Barcelona, ​​and Christmas prizes, who has just published a new edition of The Body Hunter (Ediciones 62, 2026), not only relates to the world through the embellishing filter of literature: it also does so through taste.

Màrius Carol (Barcelona, ​​​​1953) directed The Vanguard Between 2013 and 2020, during the turbulent years of the Catalan independence movement and the October 1st referendum. A veteran journalist and author of several books, he says his profession has opened many doors for him. Including those in the world of wine.

The economist Miquel Puig (Tarragona, 1954) is one of the voices that most frequently participate in the country's debates, also on the ARABeyond the articles and controversies about regional funding, immigration, tourism and wages, Puig maintains a long-standing relationship with another part of the Catalan economy.

Since last September, Júlia López (Barcelona, ​​1994) has been one of the voices accompanying family meals on weekends. After stints at Betevé, La 2, and Canal 3/24, the journalist has joined the show as a presenter, airing Saturdays and Sundays. Midday news of 3Cat.

Martí Melcion (Barcelona, ​​1995) is the illustrator of choice for young people in Barcelona. With a mischievous streak that doesn't preclude a tenderness for his surroundings, Melcion has captured much of the mood and daily life of his generation in his cartoons and animations. His collaboration with EVA (3Cat) has resulted in... Elma and her friends (Random Comics), which will be published in April.

At the beginning ofCream!(ColumnIn her memoirs, Maria Nicolau (La Garriga, 1982), a chef and writer, recalls that as a young woman, she understood cooking as a form of craftsmanship, a job done with the hands. Far from the catastrophists who predict the end of Catalan cuisine, and championing the complexity and sophistication of everyday cooking, Nicolau has established herself as one of the most important voices in contemporary gastronomic discourse. However, her life's journey also includes travels through several cities. In her memoirs, she explains that she chose La Rioja, not Segovia, to learn about wine.

Julià Guillamon (Barcelona, ​​1962) keeps about ten empty bottles at home. The writer and critic of The Vanguard He copied the idea from an exhibition that the National Library of Spain dedicated to Camilo José Cela, in which the bottles, mostly antique ones, that the Galician writer had decided to keep were displayed. Guillamon has published around twenty books – the latest of which, Scrapers (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2026), has just arrived in bookstores—in which many topics coexist, including, inevitably, wine.

Toti Soler (Vilassar de Dalt, 1949) often falls asleep listening to his own music: the slow and subtle pieces that he and his daughter call transparenciesFifty years after the celebrated concert with Ovidi Montllor at the Olympia, Soler leads a quiet and peaceful life. Born into a family of musicians—his great-grandfather was an opera singer, his mother a pianist—he found two undeniable virtues in the guitar his aunt gave him: the direct contact of his finger against the string, and the ability to carry it on his back and take it with him wherever he went. The rest is history: more than 400 songs and 37 albums, and having been the irreplaceable accompanist for generations of artists.

Laura Grau (Blanes, 1995) has established herself in recent years as one of the most prominent Catalan-language communicators and content creators on social media. After working for RAC105, Catalunya Ràdio, and iCat, she has created her own platform from which she addresses social issues that concern her and also discusses popular culture, with a particular focus on the world of castles. Hours after the interview, Grau got in touch to add a detail she had forgotten to mention: she loves the summer red wine, although its name in Catalan – black summer cocktail – hasn't quite convinced him.

Four months ago, Francesc Garriga (Súria, 1983) returned to Catalonia after working for four years as a correspondent for Catalunya Ràdio in Washington, a period marked by Donald Trump's return to the White House. In addition to his day-to-day work, this period has resulted in a book. In Washington by parachute (Portico, 2024), but above all a very concrete way of looking at the United States through everyday details, contradictions and small – and large – cultural clashes.

Carles Sans (Badalona, ​​1955) has spent more than four decades on stage, most of them without uttering a word. A founding member of Tricicle, along with Joan Gràcia and Paco Mir, he helped transform gesture into a recognizable and exportable stage language. Now, in a phase marked by his shift to spoken performance, Sans reflects on time, the body, changing habits, and his relationship with wine: a lesson that, like so many others, requires knowing when to open a bottle and when to leave it closed.

When Roger de Gràcia (Barcelona, ​​1975) explained to his mother that he was going to write a book about the social phobia he has suffered from since childhood, she warned him that he would never get hired again. That doesn't seem to have been the case. Since the publication of Tell me, crazy. In 2023, De Gràcia continued working on the podcast We keep our word. from Catalunya Ràdio, and with Júlia Otero on Onda Cero. In his book, and also in the conversation, the body, the head and drink appear, as a habit, as a learning process and as a limit.

A good correspondent is a guide for newspaper readers. Enric González (Barcelona, ​​1959) has been one for decades, reporting from London, New York, Rome, Paris, Jerusalem, and Buenos Aires. A journalist for publications such asThe Catalan Post,Monday's Page, The Catalan Newspaper,The Country,The World,Jot Down and theNOWAnd in contexts as decisive as the Rwandan genocide and the Gulf War, González has learned to explain the world by observing, listening, reading and, often, drinking.

Gregorio Luri (Azagra, Navarre, 1955) reads peacefully in the sun. The philosopher and educator, author of School is not an amusement park and The conservative imagination, received last Monday the Atlantis prize and is pleased with the publication of The dignity of mediocrity. A short philosophy of the unfinished. (Encounter, 2025). In both books and conversation, Luri uses quotations to weave together discourse and ideas. He does not do so—he assures us—or not only, for personal enjoyment, but because of the duty he believes we all have to transmit those things that help us understand the world a little better.

The cartoonist Miquel Ferreres (Barcelona, ​​1950) celebrates fifty years in the profession this year. After his time in Catalan Post, The Vanguard and The NewspaperHe arrived at ARA, where he has published a daily cartoon since 2018. His friend Toni Batllori told him one day that the job they had chosen was a "sweet deal." Ferreres assures that, if it is, it's not because of the hours, the salary, or the amount of work, but because of the luck of dedicating himself to a job he likes and that, if he were born again, he would do again.

Alba Carreres (El Prat de Llobregat, 1988) seems capable of turning any topic into the basis of a program or a script. After working for a dozen media outlets, both in front of and behind the cameras and microphones, and covering seemingly diverse subjects such as football and motherhood, the journalist seems more in love than ever with the work of learning and communicating new things.

Gori Masip (Sitges, 2002) has a physical map of Catalonia hanging in his home, a testament to his passion for geography. The broadcaster, who found the ideal environment to launch his career on social media, has carved out a niche for himself on the TV3 meteorology team thanks to his rigorous, clear, and approachable way of explaining weather. His ability to make complex phenomena understandable without losing his humor and enthusiasm has made him one of the most recognizable and viral faces on Catalan television, to the point that many affectionately call him "the weather kid."

A regular on TV3 productions and in the country's theatres, Aida Oset (Barcelona, ​​​​1983) is one of the most recognizable actresses on the Catalan scene. After her time at the Teatre Lliure, with A species of Alaska, and through the Mercat de les Flors, with Kodama, will take to the stages of the Goya Theatre starting November 5th to play Giulia, one of the three protagonists of The braid, a work based on the book by Laetitia Colombani about three women with seemingly opposite lives but a shared desire for freedom.