From vineyard to glass: Celler Masroig presents its new wine

The facilities at Celler Masroig, in Priorat, are primarily designed for producing quality wine, but it has once again become clear that they are also excellent for hosting celebrations. This past Saturday, November 15th, they hosted the 15th edition of the New Wine Festival, the perfect way to welcome the new harvest and celebrate the end of the grape harvest. Live music, speeches, tastings of quality products, greetings and hugs among attendees, and, above all, the traditional "bottle-filling" ceremony, the most anticipated moment.

This year's new wine, which, as in previous years, captivated the audience, is a deep, bright ruby color, offering aromas of ripe red fruit—cherry and strawberry—complemented by dairy notes and hints of candy. "It's a very smooth wine on the palate, pleasant, and pairs very well with an appetizer, with bread and tomato, or with olives," explains Alain Gómez, the winemaker at Celler Masroig. Being a young wine, only bottled for about two weeks, it has strong notes of fresh fruit. "It's a wine to share," the winemaker concludes.

And that's exactly what the hundreds of people who participated in the New Wine Festival did on Saturday. They shared the wine and, above all, a good time. The venue opened its doors at 7:30 p.m., and around 8:00 p.m. the concert by Silver Monkeys, the cover band that presented their show, began. Welcome to the Jungle and got everyone dancing. After the band's final set, it was the turn of this year's new wine's godmother, Marta Clot, a sommelier born in Granollers and a wine expert (@ladelsvins). Her words led to the most anticipated moment of the evening: the filling of the wineskin, an experience carried out for generations, coinciding with the celebration of Sant Martí, to honor the saying: "For Sant Martí, kill the pig and start the wine."

While the audience enjoyed this tribute to culture and tradition, they could also sample the new olive oil and taste other locally sourced tapas. As the wineskin continued to flow, the Flaixbac Live & Loud session began, with DJs Carles Pérez and Andreu Presas providing the rhythm and the musical finale to the night.

Recovering production

The new wine, made from a base of Garnacha and also with Cariñena, the quintessential variety of Celler Masroig, can now be purchased in specialist shops and in the online store of Bodega MasroigThe bottle label, which is renewed every year, is designed by JAJAJA Studio, winners of the 3rd New Wine Label Competition. With a dynamic and colorful design, the studio has depicted the festivities, the people, and the moment of the wineskin's inflation, a symbol of Catalan tradition that the winery has revived.

After three years of significantly reduced production due to drought, this harvest has allowed for a return to normal production levels. "We've had a normal, not excessive, production, and of very good quality. The vineyard hasn't suffered from any diseases, and the yield has been optimal," explains winemaker Alain Gómez. This year's harvest had to be brought forward due to a heat wave in mid-August.

Award for Excellence

Celler Masroig was founded in 1917. It is a cooperative made up of several farming families that has experienced exponential growth in recent years. And this year is special. On the one hand, the winery is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the New Wine Festival, and on the other hand, last June its Les Sorts Vinyes Velles 2020 wine was awarded Best Red Wine 2025 at the Brussels World Competition and received the Grand Gold Medal. This prestigious award, in a competition that included 7,165 wines from 49 different countries, is the best demonstration of the qualitative leap that Bodega Masroig has made.