Vineyards with essence to protect an emotional landscape

Batea / GandesaTerra Alta hides a small project with a giant purpose. Herència Altés is a family winery dedicated to cultivating vineyards and crafting fresh and elegant wines. The project works with native grape varieties, emphasizing Garnacha and highlighting Garnacha Blanca. They make their wines in the most natural and respectful way possible, always striving for maximum varietal honesty and elegance. Núria Altés and Rafael De Haan are the protagonists of a story that could be the plot of a film. "I'm from Batea, and my family has been winegrowing for many generations. Terra Alta is a purely agricultural area where vineyards play a very important role. My partner is English and came here because his mother is Spanish. His passion for authentic wines led him to discover Terra Alta, where he found his calling."

“After making wines under our own labels, we felt the need to launch our own project. The world of wine is a world with a lot of soul, with a lot of emotional power. I suggested to my father that we make wine instead of selling the grapes to the cooperative. In 2013, we built a small winery in Batea, which promised to help us define our style. We explored different winemaking techniques, and at the same time, we bought three estates, seeking to preserve the ancestral character of these vineyards,” he says. The purpose was very well defined. “We wanted to preserve old vines that were planted as our ancestors understood them, with dry stone walls. We wanted the forest to be an extension of the vineyards. The key to our understanding of the land is sustainability. All the vineyards are dry-farmed, which is the traditional form of viticulture in the Terra Alta region.”

Herència Altés is committed to organic farming and a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of working that promotes rich biodiversity. "In 2016, we realized we were growing and needed a larger space. We decided to build a winery in the vineyard, seeking a connection with nature. It's located in the municipality of Gandesa, overlooking the Els Ports mountains. We were looking for beautiful views, a layout of white Grenache vineyards, and sites like the Iberian settlement of Coll del Moro, which houses the oldest winery in Catalonia. Furthermore, we have a recently discovered Roman settlement above our vineyards, a site of historical memory commemorating the Battle of the Ebro."

Altés knows viticulture very well. "Our wines are organic. We've been committed to organic viticulture for over ten years, but we also created an environmental project surrounding the winery. We're not connected to the electrical grid and we run on solar energy because we didn't want to negotiate with the electric companies. We wanted to create a robust environment," he explains.

Herencia Altés also cares for the local wildlife. "We take many actions. We have bat and bird nest boxes, and also a nest box where we..." hacking"That is, we take animals from a reserve, feed them, and when they are adults, we release them. We have a water pond that we built so the animals can drink during the very hot summer months. We document all the vertebrate animals that visit us and keep an inventory. We also participate in the Catalan Butterfly Scheme, which is a butterfly monitoring system," he explains.

Their commitment to the surrounding environment is deeply integrated into the project. "The latest thing we've done is join an association called International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA). The goal is to reduce our carbon footprint following the UN guidelines for 2050. They conduct a biannual audit where they calculate our carbon footprint, from the glass to the car. It's scientific and very rigorous. This allows us to make commitments to reduce our footprint. We, for example, have reduced the weight of the bottle," Altés acknowledges.

Culture is the third pillar of a project that programs concerts. "We're not just a winery; we also do many activities promoting flora, fauna, and culture. We're heavily invested in wine tourism. Wine has recently received a lot of negative press because many detractors associate it with alcoholism. I think that's a mistake. Wine should be part of our culinary offerings." Wine, he adds, is a perfect complement.

A way of life

The actions promoted by Herencia Altés are closely linked to Núria and Rafa's way of life. "For us, it's a way of life. It's a way of thinking that if each of us does our part, we'll make small changes to the planet. We don't have the ultimate solution because we don't have the power to make it a reality. I'm a strong advocate for the landscape because we are a product of the landscape, and we face many threats. The Terra Alta region generates a significant percentage of energy consumption, 25% of which is renewable. A flood of projects to exploit the land keeps arriving, and I think it's unfair to an area that has struggled to get on the map. We weren't well-known before, and now people are coming to the Terra Alta."

What difficulties arise in competing with other wines that are produced more industrially? "We don't see it as a difficulty but as a huge added value. When people come to see us, discover the idyllic landscape, and open a bottle of wine, they're blown away. It's a product full of value. People are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about wine. They like to participate in tastings, visit wineries, and explore the region. The more they know, the higher their expectations become. Before, it was simply a matter of 'I like it' or 'I don't like it,' but now it's something deeper," he acknowledges.

Despite its year-on-year growth, the project continues to struggle against countless adversities. "Old vineyards require a lot of labor because the processes are very manual and artisanal. It's very difficult to get the project off the ground, and this year, with a market downturn, it's been a tough one. In Catalonia, we are seeing an increase, but exports are suffering greatly. Geopolitical instability also contributes to falling consumption, which in turn leads to a decline in people's livelihoods." Its raison d'être is inextricably linked to cultural and natural heritage. "Terra Alta is an area experiencing a boom in the wine world, but we continue to lose inhabitants, and that worries us because we are losing hectares of farmland. If we don't reverse the ruralization problem and start to grow, we will have a significant problem in the future," he warns.