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General public

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The great specialist in agroindustrial construction in Catalonia, Cèsar Martinell, made his "debut" in Rocafort de Queralt in 1918. The final result, full of innovations and architectural daring, was a great platform for his career.

The winery of Roquefort that we see today is the result of three projects carried out between 1918 and 1947. During the first years, it consisted of a building with two parallel areas and a perpendicular third area which was used as an unloading bay and machine room. Later this was enlarged with two more areas, the modernisation of the machine room, and a new water tank to replace the original.

But without doubt, the most decisive contribution was the use, for the first time, of the Gaudinian parabolic arch as the main support of the structure of the building. The original idea was to have the traditional wooden roof truss as a support for the gabled roof, but the economic circumstances of the time led the architect to change his idea: with the First World War, the price of wood had multiplied five times.

With regard to the "aesthetic" aspect of the winery, the tiling work used in the arches of the doors and windows is particularly outstanding as is the ceramic tiled frieze that runs along the cornice of the building. The main façade of the winery is perfectly symmetrical and highlights the huge window made up of three elements, with rampant arches and round arches. The door consists of a round voussoired arch which, in its time, was the support for the large window. This composition is repeated on the facade of the three areas.
This has to be one of the most beautiful works by the architect Cèsar Martinell. The winery of the Agricultural Union of Saint Isidre of Nulles, on the outskirts of the town, was the third commission in just one year for the most celebrated of the Catalan agricultural architects. With certain lines that remind us of Gothic art, the architecture of the Nulles winery is refined, monumental and elegant.

The structure of the building is slightly different from Martinell's previous works; the construction of Nulles comprises two areas measuring 21 by 18 metres without a separating wall between them. A slender, durable and lightweight "skeleton" that gives the feeling of vastness and allows one to create an open and orderly space. The winery has yet another space, a transversal nave with a simpler structure, based on metal trusses and a sheet metal roof.

The monumentality of the façade fully justifies the name of "wine cathedral". The double basilica area can clearly be seen thanks to its two identical, symmetrical fronts. It has a solid base of stone that runs along longitudinally, broken only by the two doors of each area. The portals outline a parabolic arch and protrude slightly to support the large windows situated above them (also parabolic arches and brickwork). The façade shows off the vertical brickwork pilasters, from the wall front up to the roof where the stepped finish form a symmetrical slope on both sides;  the blind arches and original corners of the façade made from brick pillars forming low relief are also outstanding.
Located in an area with a certain unevenness, topography that was favoured by Martinell for making the best use of space, the winery of Falset was built in 1919.

In this building, that evokes the shapes of a castle, we find one of the characteristics that define Modernista architecture and which continued to be used by the disciples of Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner: the recovery and free interpretation of Catalan medieval architectural forms.

The winery consists of two perpendicular buildings, responding to the division of working spaces: the unloading bay and the machine rooms are in the smallest building, and the vats and presses are in the larger one.

But the difference in Falset is the absence of the parabolic arc. The sloping roof is supported by the classic wooden roof trusses which, in turn, rest on brick pillars together with side arches. On the central structure of the winery of Falset we can see 9 highly stylised vertical windows crowned with a large relieving arch which stands on four brick pilasters that reach the ground. Of the three gateways to the winery, the main one forms a round voussoir arch in the medieval style.

On both sides stand two square plan towers, with large vertical openings and corners finished with brickwork, which contrasts with the white of the rest of the wall and creates a beautiful balance of lines and colours. The last element worth noting is the water tank. Functional and artistic, the tank at the winery of Falset is circular and is supported by two crossed parabolic arches and four pilasters that surround it, all constructed in brickwork.
The cooperative winery of Espluga de Francolí was the first of its kind to be commissioned by a renowned architect. Pere Domènech i Roura, son of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, initiated the construction of the "signature wineries" or "wineries of the rich" with the design and direction of the works. Subsequently, Cèsar Martinell also worked at the Espluga Winery.  Erected in 1913, it was the first Modernista cooperative winery of Catalonia and of the rest of the Spanish State. Today, this centre, a pioneer of the most artistic and innovative the cooperative system houses the facilities of the Wine Museum.

The layout of the winery is similar to that of other contemporary buildings, comprising: three rectangular, parallel areas, individualised two-sided roofs and another nave placed at right angles to the others. In the structure of the winery we find all the Modernista genius. Pere Domènech designed a system of pillars in a cross that became ogival arches which make the role of the transverse and side arches of an area (solutions previously employed in medieval architecture). The areas, 44 by 12 metres, housed a total of 40, reinforced cement vats each with a capacity of 340 hectolitres, and several underground presses. The perpendicular area was slightly smaller (13 by 8 metres) and housed the entrance bay and machine room (with the latest presses of the time). As an annex to this nave, the winery also had a laboratory in order to control the production process more effectively.

The facade is equal for the three main areas. Historians talk about elements that recall the most genuine Catalan architecture: ogival arcades with small windows, brick pillars arranged vertically, triangular crowns and galleries of blind arches reminiscent of Lombard Romanesque. The materials used for the façade were crushed stone, rendering and brickwork. Another "aesthetic" element is the water tank. Located next to the unloading bay, it is a circular brick tower crowned by a conical roof decorated with classic Modernista mosaic.

In 1915, the winery of Espluga de Francolí occupied 1,311 square metres and had 160 members. Cèsar Martinell made an extension in 1929 by adding another area. In 1990 it was renovated and restored and, finally, in 1998 the Wine Museum was opened.
To the south of Barberà de la Conca we find the winery of the Sindicat Agrícola de Barberà de la Conca , (Agricultural Union of Barberà de la Conca) known as the "celler de Dalt" or "Sindicat dels rics" ("Union of the rich"). It was built between the years 1920 and 1921 and those involved in its creation included the architect Cèsar Martinell, the winemaker Isidre Campllonch, and the ecologist engineer Imbert. These were professionals who put all their talent at the service of the reformist agrarian bourgeoisie. 
 
Its construction was undoubtedly one of the most modern of its time, thanks mainly to the technical innovations introduced by Martinell. These were innovations that affected both the architecture and the technology required for the production of wine and that Martinell would apply to almost all of the wineries he designed. They included building the structure with parabolic arches of brick, situating the windows on the lower part of the buildings, making underground cylindrical presses separated by insulating chambers and lastly, the composition and texture of the facades.
 
The building has two parallel rectangular areas, but unlike other wineries, their dimensions are not equal. The large area was kept for storage while the smaller one was divided into an unloading dock, the machine room and the home of the concierge.
 
The main body of the building, measuring 43 by 21 metres, is divided into three areas and has the typical basilica plan used in Christian churches. The areas are separated by pillars in a cross plan which forks out in the top part, resulting in balanceded arches or catenaries (much used by Antoni Gaudí). Above the arches there are some walls crossed by roof trusses that support the sloping roof on two sides; the walls include large windows constructed with brickwork -  the same as the doors - that illuminate this great central area.
 
However, the most outstanding element on the exterior is the elegant water tower, which was built later. It comprises two main structures, one with a square plan and the other octagonal, finishing in a conical crown. Some authors have likened this structure to Baroque belfries, once again comparing the "wine cathedrals" to the Christian churches of "casa nostra" (our land, Catalonia).
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