{"id":21657,"date":"2021-11-24T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.11onze.cat\/?p=21657"},"modified":"2021-11-24T10:14:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T09:14:20","slug":"lafou-celler-story-falling-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.11onze.cat\/en\/magazine\/lafou-celler-story-falling-love\/","title":{"rendered":"LaFou Celler: a story of falling in love"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LaFou Celler, DO Terra Alta, is located in the town centre of Batea, in an 18th century manor house, Casa Figueras. Its 15 hectares of vineyards are located in the north of the municipality, on the border with Aragon. Grenache and Terra Alta have stolen their hearts, they have fallen in love with it.<\/b><\/h3>\n

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LaFou Celler<\/b><\/a> was born out of two love affairs. <\/b>Ramon Roqueta, oenologist and owner of the winery, comes from a long winemaking tradition. His family has a winery in Pla de Bages, where they are from, and they have been involved in the world of vines and wine since the 12th century. The story of LaFou began when Roqueta, after studying agricultural engineering, went to France to study oenology.<\/span><\/p>\n

While doing an internship in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area in Provence, <\/span>he discovered a different way of working Grenache<\/b>. \u201cThe Grenache internship in this area, which is one of the most prestigious in France, even in the world, revealed to me a style of Grenache wine, black and white, very elegant and very fresh.<\/span> I came back in love with this variety<\/b>,\u201d he explains. It was there that he fell in love with it for the first time, which led him to embark on a project he had in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once he was clear about the project he wanted to undertake, Roqueta looked for the land where to do it. This is where the second love affair was born: \u201c<\/span>Terra Alta stole my heart: its landscape and the characteristics offered by the territory<\/b>, such as its orography, the climate and the type of soil,\u201d Roqueta explains \u201cTerra Alta is the land of Garnacha.\u201d On the advice of local oenologists, he looked for a place where viticulture could excel. \u201cWe were looking for a vineyard in a higher area, much more ventilated, oriented from north to south, because it favours air circulation and taking into account that the cierzo blows here constantly,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The \u2018fous\u2019, vineyards between walls<\/b><\/h3>\n

Roqueta comments that he baptised the winery with the name Lafou to pay homage to the land that is home to them. \u201cTerra Alta,\u201d he explains, \u201cmillions of years ago was bathed by the sea. Over time, <\/span>these narrow valleys, called \u2018fous\u2019, have been formed, where man has made terraces to retain water<\/b> and to plant vines. The \u2018fous\u2019 identify the area and we liked the name for the winery because it explains where we are from.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

LaFou Celler\u2019s vineyards are located on terraces, and have dry stone walls<\/b>, a characteristic construction of the area, of which the winery claims to be a fan. Their function is key to maintaining the terrace, which retains water, so vital in a dry land. \u201cMoreover, they identify our landscape and the agricultural landscape that exists in Europe, which is not found in the New World, where the landscape stands out for its vegetation. The agricultural landscape is a landscape forged by man for centuries,\u201d Roqueta observes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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