Vella Terra was born out of a clear need: to create an independent, international space for both wine professionals and consumers, where local wineries and producers with decades of experience in other countries could present their work, exchange knowledge and give greater visibility to the natural wine movement. Our story began in late 2014, travelling across Europe, visiting wineries and meeting growers who were already working according to a philosophy rooted in respect for the land and minimal, honest winemaking.

At the time, Barcelona had no serious international fair with a genuine connection to the market. Information about natural wine was scarce, distribution among consumers and hospitality professionals was still very limited, and only a small number of Spanish wineries were producing this style of wine. Vella Terra was created to fill that gap and help build a more informed, connected and transparent community.

The first edition was held on May 9, 2016, bringing together 70 winegrowers from Spain, France, and Italy. In addition, we organized the first conference on natural wine and biodynamic agriculture for sommelier students from the Barcelona School of Hospitality, distributors, and hospitality professionals, with Nicolas Joly as host.

The first edition took place at the Poble Espanyol in Barcelona, an iconic location in the city, and brought together 70 winegrowers from Spain, France, and Italy. We also organized the first conference on natural wine and biodynamic agriculture for sommelier students from the Barcelona School of Hospitality, distributors, and hospitality professionals, with Nicolas Joly as host.

We broke the attendance record at that time among national and international industry professionals, buyers, and distributors, and welcomed a strong community of future sommeliers from the Barcelona School of Hospitality. In the following editions, up to 2020, we collaborated with this prestigious institution by training sommeliers on a volunteer basis in the first edition as well as in our second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth editions.

From our very first edition, we focused Vella Terra and its exhibitors not only on the national sphere but also on the international one, projecting natural wine beyond our borders. We connect wineries with clients, distributors, importers, hospitality professionals, sommeliers, and wine lovers from all over the world who visit us organically each year. Throughout the year, we also recommend these wineries to our community of subscribers, which has grown steadily over time.

We invite European producers with decades of experience to demonstrate that natural wine is not a trend, but a historical practice. With rigorous criteria and verification processes through wine analyses, we have contributed to supporting the growth of the sector and collaborating with experts in journalism, design, and audiovisual art.

We have spent a decade as a fully independent fair: we do not answer to associations, distributors, or importers, although we maintain direct contact with many of them, both nationally and internationally, and collaborate with all those who wish to bring seriousness and clarity to the movement.

We select exhibitors based on the quality of their wines and their fidelity to their methods of production, not on friendship, proximity, or personal connections. Those who do not meet our fair’s criteria or do not wish to present their analyses simply cannot participate in our events, because the responsibility of being a reference fair in the sector and our commitment to the seriousness and professionalism we owe to our attendees come first.

We are not a conventional fair, nor a technology event with a corner for artisanal wines. Nor are we a showroom disguised as a fair, and even less an entity that, under the excuse of being “non-profit,” is not accessible or transparent, rejects marketing while replicating every step of those of us who have spent years building this sector, offers no guarantees about who it showcases, demands to be believed without verification, and does not show a clear reinvestment of what it generates to truly support the sector.

We are a fair created by hospitality professionals and wine specialists that connects genuine producers who craft their natural wines with coherence and commitment. What defines us is showing what we do and how we do it — being present, transparent, and standing behind our work. Those who visit us know where to find us: we are approachable, accessible, and open.

We dedicate the income from each fair to building the next one, we meet our tax obligations, and we pay fair wages to the people who make each event possible. We are committed to providing real guarantees about who exhibits at our fair and to reinvesting what we generate to drive future editions and strengthen the community that makes them possible.

We invest in clear and honest communication. We create content and tools so that subscribers and industry professionals know months in advance who will participate in each edition, facilitating direct contact between wineries, distributors, and hospitality professionals. We maintain a functional and transparent website, designed to inform, not to decorate.

Our digital community is also a fundamental pillar: many professionals who cannot attend follow our selection and updates through our platforms and establish direct contact with wineries. Our selection and verification criteria, built over the years, have become a guarantee of trust for those deciding which projects to work with.

In 2018, our story continued with the opening of Garage Bar, the first bar in the world to emerge from an international natural wine fair, where visitors can taste thousands of wines previously presented at Vella Terra, whether or not they are distributed in the city.

At Garage Bar, we keep the community surrounding our fair alive 365 days a year. It brings together hospitality professionals and distributors from Barcelona, other cities across Spain and abroad, with whom we work closely, as well as producers who present their wines through tastings and special events. Throughout the year, thousands of natural wine lovers visit Garage Bar, making it a meeting point for the trade and for the wider community connected to the professional natural wine sector.

Today, ten years later and with 11 editions behind us, Vella Terra has established itself as a national and global reference. Our experience, seriousness, and closeness set us apart. In 2023, while most fairs sought to add more wineries, we decided to reduce the number of exhibitors by half in order to offer an even more careful and professional tasting experience.

This is our story: facts, not words. Thank you for visiting us!