From the atlas
L'Olivera
L'Olivera is a worker cooperative and social initiative from Vallbona de les Monges, making organic wine and oil, traditional method sparkling wine, and still wines from Macabeo and Cartoixà.
At A Glance
| Item | Detail |
| Home base | Vallbona de les Monges |
| Appellation | Costers del Segre, Corb River Valley subzone |
| Project | Worker cooperative and social initiative |
| Grapes | Macabeo in Agaliu, Cartoixà in Únic |
| Styles | Organic still wine, oil, and traditional method sparkling wine |
| Defining practice | Manual vineyard work, hand labeled and numbered bottles |
The Producer
Labels are still applied and numbered by hand at L'Olivera. The cooperative works its vineyards and olive groves manually, grows grapes and olives, and makes organic wine and oil. Social inclusion has been part of the project from its beginning, particularly for people with disabilities and people in disadvantaged situations.
L'Olivera works across two landscapes. Vallbona de les Monges is the rural setting, while Can Calopa farmhouse lies in Barcelona's Collserola Natural Park. The project joins agricultural work with a social initiative, keeping both activities inside the same cooperative.
Place
The Vallbona vineyards belong to the Corb River Valley subzone of the Costers del Segre designation. Most of the grapes come from L'Olivera's own estates, with the remainder supplied by neighbouring winegrowing families.
The project also operates at Can Calopa farmhouse in Barcelona's Collserola Natural Park. The two settings place the cooperative between inland Catalan dry farming and a vineyard landscape within Barcelona.
Soil And Site
The owned vineyards are divided into small parcels, none exceeding 1.5 hectares. They sit between 450 and 700 metres in an arid Mediterranean climate. At elevation, cooler nights can slow ripening and help grapes retain acidity, while the dry conditions define the farming environment.
Story
In 1974, Piarist Father Josep Maria Segura led a group of people who settled in Vallbona de les Monges and began the project. Their plan included people with disabilities and people in disadvantaged situations, with a productive economic outlet based on local values.
The social aim was built into the enterprise from the start. Manual vineyard and olive grove work, hand labeling, and hand numbering of bottles remain part of how L'Olivera operates.
Vineyards And Cellar
Most grapes are estate grown, while the rest come from neighbouring winegrowing families. All grapes are harvested by hand from late August through October. Farming follows agroecological principles and organic farming criteria.
The cellar ferments in stainless steel vats and oak barrels sourced from different places and barrel makers. Analysis and tasting guide the final blends. In Agaliu 2024, part of the must ferments at 15 to 17ºC in American and French oak barrels, then spends 6 to 8 months on its lees with weekly battonage. Lees are spent yeast cells, and stirring them through the wine can broaden texture. Another 25% ferments in stainless steel before 2 months in cement, with stoneware amphora also used for maturation.
Wines
The range includes rosé and white wines. Agaliu 2024 is a 100% Macabeo white wine listed under Costers del Segre. Únic 2021 is an organic single variety Cartoixà, the Catalan name used here for Xarel·lo.
The listed wines also include Airós Rosé 2023, Eixaders L'Olivera 2021, and Arraona Blanc L'Olivera 2021. Traditional method sparkling wine sits alongside the still wines, a style L'Olivera began making in the early 1990s while respecting the character of each variety.
In The Glass
Agaliu 2024 opens with fresh citrus, pear, apple, white flowers, orange blossom, and a hint of honey. The palate is fine and balanced, with acidity that carries the wine through a persistent finish.
Únic 2021 has a mature yet fresh profile, with complexity, anise character, balanced alcohol and acidity, and a slight oxidative note at the finish. The Cartoixà remains lively while the final note brings a more developed tone.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Agaliu 2024. It is a 100% Macabeo white wine listed under Costers del Segre. Part of the must ferments in American and French oak barrels with lees ageing and weekly battonage. Other portions use stainless steel, cement, and stoneware amphora. Its label names one grape, while the cellar places wood, steel, cement, and stoneware in the same wine.
Anecdote
In 2021, L'Olivera bottled Únic as a limited edition of 617 bottles. The cuvée changes with each vintage because it is reserved for experimental wines made in the cellar that normally stay outside the commercial circuit. For this release, the wine was a single variety Cartoixà. The grapes were foot trodden in the vineyard to start spontaneous fermentation with native wild yeasts, then fermentation finished in stainless steel without temperature control or additives. Only a minimal sulphite addition was made before bottling. The wine left the cellar under the Únic name.
Final Word
L'Olivera is a worker cooperative rooted in Vallbona de les Monges, with Corb River Valley vineyards, manual farming, and a cellar that uses oak, stainless steel, cement, and stoneware amphora. Its wines include Macabeo, Cartoixà, rosé, white, and traditional method sparkling bottles.
Sources
- https://olivera.org/en/about-us/
- https://olivera.org/en/wines/
- https://www.enterwine.com/en/world-of-wine/wineries/cooperativa-l-olivera
- https://olivera.org/en/producte/agaliu/
- https://olivera.org/ca/lolivera-camina-cap-als-vins-de-minima-intervencio/