History
The Spanish Civil War brought my father, Cecilio Vicent, born in La Vilavella (Castelló – the northern province of València) to the village of Gratallops where he met and married my mother.
The land owned by my mother’s family up until then had been tended by day labourers and it slowly became overgrown due to lack of proper attention. It was my father who decided to take charge and recover the neglected properties and plant the ones which were fallow.
He became a member of the Wine Cooperative of Gratallops (La Cooperativa Vinícola de Gratallops) and delivered all his grapes there. However, he wanted to send wine back to his native village and as cooperative rules did not allow him to take wine for uses other than home use, he had no option but to leave the Cooperative
He set up a small winery in an old stable building. He studied winemaking and started to make his own wine. This way, he was able to sell his wine direct and most importantly to his village as well as to other customers who visited his winery.
Ever since the year 1942, our activity in the wine-world has not ceased, not even for one single vintage.
My father started the project and now all my family shares the task of helping me to make this family business a success, especially my son-in-law Blai Ferrer who is in charge of the vineyards and the winemaking process, and my daughter Raquel who looks after the admin side, sales and export.
Year after year, we have pruned, nurtured and harvested each and every one of our vines that occupy all of the 10ha.
We have improved, renewed and extended our facilities and our land, and yet, our main aim has never changed. We follow the same principle: open the doors of our winery to offer you the pleasure of enjoying our wines. And this has been the same for the last 80 years!
The Spanish Civil War brought my father, Cecilio Vicent, born in La Vilavella (Castelló – the northern province of València) to the village of Gratallops where he met and married my mother.
The land owned by my mother’s family up until then had been tended by day labourers and it slowly became overgrown due to lack of proper attention. It was my father who decided to take charge and recover the neglected properties and plant the ones which were fallow.
He became a member of the Wine Cooperative of Gratallops (La Cooperativa Vinícola de Gratallops) and delivered all his grapes there. However, he wanted to send wine back to his native village and as cooperative rules did not allow him to take wine for uses other than home use, he had no option but to leave the Cooperative
He set up a small winery in an old stable building. He studied winemaking and started to make his own wine. This way, he was able to sell his wine direct and most importantly to his village as well as to other customers who visited his winery.
Ever since the year 1942, our activity in the wine-world has not ceased, not even for one single vintage.
My father started the project and now all my family shares the task of helping me to make this family business a success, especially my son-in-law Blai Ferrer who is in charge of the vineyards and the winemaking process, and my daughter Raquel who looks after the admin side, sales and export.
Year after year, we have pruned, nurtured and harvested each and every one of our vines that occupy all of the 10ha.
. We have improved, renewed and extended our facilities and our land, and yet, our main aim has never changed. We follow the same principle: open the doors of our winery to offer you the pleasure of enjoying our wines. And this has been the same for the last 80 years!
First winery registered with the D.O.Q. Priorat
1942 witnessed the making of Cecilio Winery’s first wine, though it was not registered with the Regulatory Council of the Designation of Origin (or wine appellation) of the Priorat until the year 1954.
The reason why it took so long was due to the fact that, although the Wine Statute, which was established in 1932 by the Ministry of Agriculture, already recognised Priorat as a wine region that needed to be protected, the socio-political circumstances of the time at the end of
the Civil War hindered the approval of the first rules and regulations of the D.O. Priorat.
These rules and regulations were not published in the official state bulletin (B.O.E) until the summer of 1954.
Despite this, Cecilio Vicent was the first producer who registered his winery with the Regulatory board, making it
the first winery registered with the Priorat wine appellation.
1942 witnessed the making of Cecilio Winery’s first wine, though it was not registered with the Regulatory Council of the Designation of Origin (or wine appellation) of the Priorat until the year 1954.
The reason why it took so long was due to the fact that, although the Wine Statute, which was established in 1932 by the Ministry of Agriculture, already recognised Priorat as a wine region that needed to be protected, the socio-political circumstances of the time at the end of the Civil War hindered the approval of the first rules and regulations of the D.O. Priorat.
Despite this, Cecilio Vicent was the first producer who registered his winery with the Regulatory board, making it
the first winery registered with the Priorat wine appellation.
Past present and future
Our facilities
The winery consists of two very different parts: the newer addition through which you enter and the original old winery.
Just as you enter the newer part is where the office, our little shop and some stainless-steel vats are. Further in is the part where all the activities connected to wine making happen: like grape selection, pressing, bottling etc. It also leads to the older part of the winery.
Here we have tried to maintain the spirit and aesthetics of the original winery and this space is used principally for the aging of our wine.
The winery consists of two very different parts: the newer addition through which you enter and the original old winery.
Just as you enter the newer part is where the office, our little shop and some stainless-steel vats are. Further in is the part where all the activities connected to wine making happen: like grape selection, pressing, bottling etc. It also leads to the older part of the winery. Here we have tried to maintain the spirit and aesthetics of the original winery and this space is used principally for the aging of our wine.
