Loxarel

The Integrity Take

Josep Mitjan and his right-hand man, Pep, craft stunning wines in the Classic Penedes appellation of Spain. Classic Penedes is the first 100% organic appellation in the world! Just an hour’s drive from Barcelona, this vineyard and winery house the history of Spain. The Estate Vineyard hides a secret under the vines. It was once a bomb shelter during the Spanish Civil War. Josep turned it into a sparkling wine cellar to house all the excellent sparkling they are making at Loxarel. Integrity Wines is proud to represent great wines from even better people.

40 ha / 25,000 cases across 24+ labels
Certified Organic and Biodynamic (TerraDinámica)
5th generation family estate, founded 1930s
Pioneer of amphora winemaking in Catalonia since

The Story

Founded in the 1930s as Masia Can Mayol, this exciting estate was reclaimed by 5th generation winegrower Josep Mitjans. At just 16, Josep was the first of his family to produce wine from their estate’s fruit, making his first 1,000 bottles of sparkling wine in 1985. In 1987, he renamed the property “Loxarel” — an anagram of “xarel·lo,” the emblematic grape of their house.

Loxarel is a medium-sized organic/biodynamic winery comprised of two vineyards. The first is located about 45 minutes west of the Barcelona airport, some 250 meters above sea level in Vilobí del Penedès — a 20ha farm roughly half planted to xarel·lo vines. The second comes from Teresa’s family in El Plà de Manlleu at 700m elevation, the highest in Penedès, and is home to most of the estate’s red-grape vines.

Natural cycles govern all operations at Loxarel. The estate went organic in 2002 and began converting to biodynamic viticulture in 2005, with Josep passionate about the relationship between man and earth — limiting production, using green pruning with herds, natural biodynamic fertilizers, and lunar cycle viticulture. In 2012, he pioneered the use of amphorae in Catalonia after discovering the ancient vessels in Italy, creating a new line of wines fermented and aged in terracotta that allow the wine to breathe while preserving freshness — reviving a 3,000-year tradition.