The Modernist Winery of Pinell de Brai, popularly known as “The Cathedral of Wine,” is much more than just a building: it is the tangible reflection of an ambitious project of agrarian modernization and the strength of rural cooperativism in early 20th-century Catalonia.
Described by the writer Àngel Guimerà as one of the most beautiful cathedrals of wine, its story begins in 1919, when a group of winegrowers from the Terra Alta region promoted the creation of a cooperative winery to meet the need to join forces and modernize production techniques.
To bring this symbol of progress to life, the members commissioned the project from Cèsar Martinell, a disciple of Antoni Gaudí and a key figure in noucentisme agrari (agrarian noucentism).
Between 1919 and 1922, Martinell combined the structural elements of traditional Catalan architecture with the ornamental sensitivity of Modernism**.
To the aesthetic contributions, he also added technical innovations learned from his master: underground channels for thermal regulation, solid reinforced concrete vats, and drainage systems that preserved the quality of the grapes throughout each harvest.
The winery is organized into three adjoining front naves, with two additional ones placed transversely at the back and on different levels.
The left nave, featuring two floors and a wooden overlapping roof, was designated for the oil mill, while the central and right naves house the vat rooms.
These naves are covered with parabolic arches, creating a structural balance that enhances the sense of lightness and brightness.
The winery is crowned by a powerful cornice decorated with green glazed ceramics, while the bush-hammered stone base integrates the monumental entrance doors.
These doors, located at the center of each nave, complete the monumentality of the façade, turning it into a landmark of Modernist architecture in the region.
At the top of the façade, a brick lattice and a ceramic frieze painted by Xavier Nogués run across the entire structure. This frieze, depicting caricatures of the tasks involved in harvesting and producing wine and oil, is one of the elements that gives Martinell’s work its unique value.
To these aesthetic contributions, he also added technical innovations learned from his master: underground channels for thermal regulation, solid reinforced concrete vats, and drainage systems that preserved the quality of the grapes throughout each harvest.
This initiative is promoted and subsidized by the Public Employment Service of Catalonia and is 100% funded by the European Social Fund as part of the European Union’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Modernista Celler is a business project that emerged in 2010 from the passion for hospitality and gastronomy of brothers Joaquim and Fran López Gilabert.
The Cathedral of Wine in Pinell de Brai is a Modernist cooperative building from the early 20th century, designed by Cèsar Martinell, a direct disciple of Antoni Gaudí.
C/ Pilonet 8
43594 Pinell de Brai
Terres de l’Ebre
Tel: +34 977426234
bodega@catedraldelvi.com
www.catedraldelvi.com
© 2025 Modernista Celler – Catedral del Vi | Política de privacidad / Nota Legal / Política de cookies