Artesano Vintners is a small natural wine project in Tarragona, founded in 2016 by Mike Shepherd and Alex Craighead. Mike is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but has lived in Spain for many years and built his experience through harvests in different Spanish regions as well as Roussillon in France. The project began with just 1,100 bottles, including Benjamina Pet-Nat and Parellatxa red, and those first wines already reached places like Japan and Bar Brutal in Barcelona.

What makes Artesano Vintners interesting is its clear, simple idea of winemaking: let the grapes and the place speak without covering them up. Their motto is “only grapes,” and their wines are made from certified organic fruit, harvested by hand, fermented with native yeasts, with no additives, no added sulfites, and no filtration. Over time, the project moved from rented cellar space in Reus to the Viver de Celleristes in Conca de Barberà, and in 2023 into its own winemaking space in Vila-seca.

Today, Artesano farms leased vineyards in Conca de Barberà and Terra Alta, giving the team more control from vineyard to bottle. They work with local varieties such as Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada, Trepat and Garnacha, which gives the wines a strong Catalan identity. For people who enjoy natural wine, Artesano Vintners offers a very direct style: lively wines, low intervention, and a real sense of origin rather than a polished, standard formula.