Celler els MecanismesÒscar Soneira
Celler els Mecanismes is the personal project of Òscar Soneira, a Barcelona-born communicator, sommelier and educator. It is a nomadic winery —with no physical premises of its own— that makes wines from grapes of selected estates in Terra Alta and the Penedès, always in collaboration with trusted artisans. The philosophy is clear: native yeasts, spontaneous fermentation, no fining or filtration, minimal or no sulphites, and ageing in unconventional vessels such as chestnut vats or stainless-steel tanks.
Terra Alta: calcareous and sandy soils near Villalba dels Arcs, Cariñena vineyards in collaboration with Óscar Navas (La Furtiva). Penedès: clay-limestone soils of Pacs del Penedès, Macabeo vineyards with the centenary Bodega La Xarmada. The diversity of places feeds the diversity of wines: from the lively red of Terra Alta to the mineral white of the Penedès.
- Nomadic winery: no physical premises of its own, it makes wine in collaboration with trusted artisans
- Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, no inoculation
- No fining or filtration — wines bottled raw
- Sulphites minimal or no in all the wines
- Ageing in chestnut vats (650 L) and stainless-steel tanks (350 L) under natural flor veil · Som range
- Collaborators: Óscar Navas / La Furtiva (Terra Alta) · Bodega La Xarmada (Pacs del Penedès)
- Very limited production · distribution through natural wine specialist shops
- Andròmina — Red wine, 100% Cariñena · D.O. Terra Alta · 4-day maceration · 8 months under flor veil
- Som, Riure — White wine, 100% Macabeo · D.O. Penedès · 5 months on lees in stainless steel · mineral and saline
- Som, Bombolles — Sparkling · No DO · artisan production
- Som, Irrepetibles — Natural wine · Celler els Mecanismes · very limited edition
Celler els Mecanismes fits fully into the Catalan natural wine scene. The two regions where it operates, Terra Alta and the Penedès, bring very different characters: Terra Alta is an inland territory with calcareous soils and wines of body and depth; the Penedès is the territory of Macabeo and cava, which here is expressed in a natural, mineral key. Òscar Soneira builds the project on years of wine communication and outreach —podcast Vino y Mantel, collaborations in Hule y Mantel y El País— with a coherence between the values he defends and the wines he makes.
The collection at Terroir Radical
Andròmina is Celler els Mecanismes' red: a single-varietal Cariñena from old vines in Villalba dels Arcs (Terra Alta), with spontaneous fermentation and 8 months' ageing under natural flor veil —an unusual technique in red wines— in collaboration with Óscar Navas of La Furtiva. Unfined and unfiltered, it is a living wine that reflects the calcareous, sandy character of the area.
Medium-to-light cherry red, bright, unfiltered. Complex, suggestive nose: crunchy red fruit (cherry, redcurrant), citrus tones, fennel and medicinal herbs. Ageing under flor veil adds very particular saline, iodine and dried stone-fruit notes. Dry, fresh, vibrant palate: fine, integrated tannins, lively acidity, long and tasty. Dry, saline, mineral finish with an aftertaste of great personality. Serve at 12–14°C.
Som, Bombolles is Celler els Mecanismes' ancestral-method sparkling: 100% Macabeo Marrameu from the Penedès, with fermentation finished in the bottle retaining natural carbon dioxide, without disgorging. Straw yellow, slightly cloudy from lees in suspension. Lively, cheerful bubble, vibrant acidity, fresh apple and pear fruit, background of yeast and rustic bakery. Dry, mineral finish. Serve at 6–8°C.
Pale straw yellow, slightly cloudy from lees in suspension. Lively, small-to-medium, cheerful, constant bubble. Very fruity nose: green apple, crisp pear, lemon zest and a background of fresh yeast and rustic bakery. Fresh, tense palate: vibrant acidity and great verticality, integrated, creamy bubble. Dry, direct, mineral finish with a savouriness that invites you to have another. Serve at 6–8°C.
Som, Riure is Celler els Mecanismes' brisat white: 100% Macabeo from Las Parellades (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia), with ~8 days of skin maceration and 2 months on fine lees with weekly bâtonnage, in collaboration with La Xarmada. Bright straw yellow, agile, mineral nose. Textured, glyceric palate, saline, mineral finish. Serve at 8–10°C.
Bright straw yellow with golden reflections. Agile, precise nose: golden apple, ripe pear, fine herbal notes and a saline mineral background. Agile, textured palate: a glyceric, tasty flow balanced by vibrant, persistent acidity. Very mineral, saline finish, with a citrus-bitter aftertaste that refreshes and lengthens the whole. A wine of great tension and verticality. Serve at 8–10°C.
Som, Irrepetibles is Celler els Mecanismes' orange wine: 50% Macabeo (6 weeks skin maceration) + 50% Xarel·lo (direct press). Golden yellow, complex, textured. Long, mineral finish. Serve at 10–12°C.
Golden yellow with amber reflections, slightly cloudy. Complex, expressive nose: very ripe white fruit (baked apple, medlars), candied orange peel, aniseed, raw nuts and warm stone. Broad palate textured by the Macabeo maceration, with a 'grip' of light tannins and a very pleasant glyceric flow, immediately offset by the nerve and vibrant freshness of the Xarel·lo. Long, mineral, saline finish with a subtle persistent bitterness. Serve at 10–12°C.