THE CAPS

It’s no coincidence that Rafa’s project is called LA NATURAL. Beyond the obvious reference to the wine itself (natural), the first thing you notice when you meet Rafa is his authenticity. Five minutes with him and it already feels like you’ve known each other forever. That’s Rafa, that’s LA NATURAL.

The fact that the caps of the bottles and the glasses feature his face isn’t a coincidence either. Brand and person merge into one, with authenticity always as their banner. What started as a joke — “Rafa gives you the cap” — eventually became real. There came a point when putting Rafa’s face on the product worked so well that they decided to make it the logo. It works because it gives the brand personality, he tells us.

“I’ve created some distance. There’s one thing that is the brand and another that is me. Obviously, the character is exaggerated — I don’t walk around my house like that. But it’s not far from who I really am.”

THE WINES

LA NATURAL was born as a natural wine distribution project to give visibility to producers from the Empordà. But, as any good creative, Rafa couldn’t resist experimenting with his own wines. Today, they have more than 18 varieties.

We tried to get him to confess his favorite, but he says, “That would be like choosing between my children.” Although he assures us that La Figa, his first creation, is probably the most emblematic.

“With natural wine, you’ll feel the urge to explore, because you can perceive so many more things.”

We asked him to summarize in one sentence the difference between a conventional wine — “technified,” he points out — and a natural wine. He laughs: “Asking a philosopher to summarize something is complicated.” But after a few minutes, he finds a good answer:

“With natural wine, you’ll feel the urge to explore, because you can perceive so many more things.” In natural wines, there is almost no human intervention; it’s more of an accompaniment. The spontaneous element allows it to flow in its own way.

He explains that there are technified wines that are very well made. But usually, people who try a natural wine rarely go back to a heavily manipulated technified one. He compares it to tasting artisanal jam or cheese for the first time: the flavors, the processes, the work behind it… People are beginning to appreciate these details again, he explains.

Some sommeliers argue that natural wine isn’t good because it has “flaws,” but Rafa believes that is exactly where its charm lies. People also have flaws, he says. Some are mild and tolerable, others are impossible to ignore — the same goes for wine. To avoid serious flaws, it’s important to be very careful.

THE TASTINGS

“The world of wine generally seems very intellectual. It’s good to have a certain level of care, but we must not forget the other side of the coin — the part of hedonism and fun.” If you’re lucky enough to attend one of his tastings, it will probably be quite different from others you’ve experienced: relaxed, approachable, and, above all, very enjoyable.

We wanted to know which wine he usually recommends to someone who has never tried a natural wine.
“It depends on where they want to go. If they’re looking for something calmer and more classic, I recommend La Figa. But if they want to take a risk with something mind-blowing, then I suggest Muy Frágil.”

He lets us try “Mandarines”, from the orange wine category. A light and fruity wine that leaves us wanting more. Rafa, you were right.

THE LABELS

The labels of the wines also play a fundamental role at LA NATURAL. To create them, they collaborate with different artists, design students… Each year, they decide based on the wines they produce. Everything in the process is very organic.

THE MOONS

When we talk about future projects, Rafa tells us that he would have liked to be a writer. However, he has never felt that it was the right time to fully dive into that field. "Although maybe during a new moon spurt I might go for it,” he admits.

The moon, in fact, is a key element at LA NATURAL, since some processes are affected by its cycles. They always try to keep the lunar calendar in mind when deciding when to harvest the grapes, among other things. So it wouldn’t surprise us if it were also responsible for such a radical change in his life.

“I’m a long-term kind of person. My first project lasted 14 years and was related to contemporary art. Now I’ve been with natural wines for 7 years; I’m halfway through this relationship.”

RAFA AND PEPE

“What the heck are you talking about?” That was the first thing I said to Pepe, co-founder and Creative Director of Thinking MU, when I saw him for the first time.

He was in a village bar, and Pepe was sitting a little further away, back to me. I noticed he was talking about spontaneous fermentations and stuff like that. Since I’m not shy, I went over and asked what they were discussing. And he, being very open and friendly, explained that he had a vineyard and usually gave his grapes to others, but since we connected so quickly, he ended up asking me if I wanted to vinify them myself.

This was in 2019, after the pandemic hit, and thanks to that connection, LA NATURAL was reborn in 2021: with Pepe’s aesthetic contribution, the investment of another partner, and me as the visible face, in charge of the product and the essence of the brand.