Cooperativa de Gandesa expands its wine portfolio with Messerols, a new Orange Wine made from 100% White Grenache (Garnacha Blanca) that brings back a century-old winemaking technique native to Terra Alta. Its launch is part of the cooperative's new brand positioning, "Proudly Nonconformist Since 1919," a philosophy rooted in heritage, territory, craftsmanship and the determination to do things without compromising identity.

The slogan of this new wine, "We Put Our Skin into It," perfectly captures the spirit of the project. On one hand, it reflects the cooperative's commitment to this unique winemaking process; on the other, it refers to the wine itself, as it is precisely the contact between the grape must and the skins that defines a skin-contact wine.

Messerols takes its name from an old vineyard area in the municipality of Gandesa, reviving a place name deeply connected to the landscape and the town's winemaking history. A name that reinforces the cooperative's commitment to preserving the agricultural and cultural heritage of Terra Alta.


Rediscovering a Tradition That Has Always Been Ours

Long before the world discovered Orange Wines, white wines with skin maceration were already being produced in Gandesa. This traditional technique consists of fermenting the grape must together with the skins for several days, just as is commonly done when producing red wines.

In the case of Messerols, 100% White Grenache is fermented on its skins for twelve days, a process that gives the wine its characteristic amber-orange colour, greater structure, fuller body, richer texture and enhanced aromatic complexity.

Once fermentation is complete, the wine is pressed using a traditional vertical hydraulic wooden press. Although this method has a low yield, it is exceptionally gentle, allowing the wine to be extracted without excessively crushing the seeds and therefore preventing unwanted bitterness. The wine then rests in stainless steel tanks until bottling, which is carried out without filtration to preserve its full expression.


When Tradition Becomes a Trend

In recent years, Orange Wines have become one of the most remarkable trends in international viticulture. Consumers and sommeliers are increasingly seeking wines with personality, gastronomic versatility, minimal intervention and a strong connection to their place of origin.

Although Orange Wines are currently enjoying worldwide recognition, the technique of fermenting white wines with their skins dates back thousands of years. The oldest evidence comes from Georgia, considered one of the cradles of wine, but this method was also part of the winemaking tradition in many European regions, including Terra Alta. Messerols revives this heritage and reinterprets it through the unique identity of Gandesa.

With Messerols, Cooperativa de Gandesa is not following a trend. It is reclaiming a way of making wine that has always been part of its own history. Through Messerols, the cooperative reaffirms the idea that defines its new chapter: being nonconformist is not about reinventing everything, but about having the courage to recover what has always made us unique.