A SOMMELIER'S GUIDE TO... Barcelona, Spain

As a new wave of natural wines descends on Catalan, sommelier STEFANO COLOMBO guides us through this undeniably cool sea change.

- STEFANO COLOMBO

In Catalan slang, the word “brutal” can mean very good as well as very bad. To the drinkers of Barcelona, Brutal is the name of a game-changing wine bar that kick-started the city’s natural wine scene. The driving force behind Brutal’s wine list is sommelier Stefano Colombo, from Italy’s Veneto region, who recognised an opportunity to introduce Barcelona to the pleasures of organically farmed, zero-additive wines. The rest, as they say, is history. While natural wine represents a sizeable chunk of Colombo’s diet, the former industrial designer can also appreciate all aspects of Barcelona’s food and drink scene. Here, he reveals a handful of his favourites.

WELCOME TO CATALAN

There’s this kind of magic energy in Barcelona of young people that are always pushing limits, but at the same time, it’s really chill. Over the past 30 years Ferran Adria’s molecular cuisine has created a big shift in food culture here. You get restaurants, which are in the top five of the World’s 50 Best list. At the same time you can find a restaurant that has been around for 50, 60, or 70 years. That kind of contrast is nice for the city.

NATURAL WINE BAR HOPPING