The adventure of wine begins with Vitis vinifera (the grapevine), a domesticated plant that arrived here by sea. And the first thing we find is the smallest item in the museum’s collections: some carbonized and mineralized seeds of the plant, which are the oldest evidence of vine cultivation preserved in Catalonia.

Throughout this section, we will discover all the knowledge related to vine cultivation—from the origins of agriculture to the domestication of the plant, the different grape varieties, the plant’s worst enemies, and all the tasks that need to be done in the vineyard, where there is always something to do! We will see tools from different Mediterranean cultures and many field implements such as plows, sprayers, and even a cart full of grape carriers! All of this helps us understand how humans have worked to control this originally wild plant in order to achieve a good harvest.

This section also dedicates space to discussing social organization and labor, the farming family, and especially the role of women throughout the cultivation and harvest process.

And finally, in the last area of this section, part of the collection of presses is displayed, accompanied by audiovisuals that show how each of the exhibited models works.

It is in the winery where the grape is transformed into the elixir of the gods… Once the grapes are pressed, it’s time to make the wine. Inside the winery, we face the challenges that, over millennia and up to the present day, have had to be overcome to turn a small fruit into the elixir of the gods. We enter the world of barrels, bottles, yeasts, oenologists, and the mystery of transubstantiation. How is good wine made? That is the question.

In the winery section, we will see the challenges involved in ensuring the wine does not spoil. There will be space to display wine containers, from the smallest and most fragile, like bottles, to the largest, such as vats—and even a wine cathedral! All the trades related to wine will be represented: we will see coopers, barrel makers, corkers, and glassmakers.

We will also see how, with the birth of the science of wine—oenology—the way wine is made was changed forever. Finally, the winery section also includes, of course, a space dedicated to sparkling wine, cava, and all its unique characteristics.

There is no means of transport that wine has not used throughout history—by land, sea, or air—because wine is also a product of travel. Today, the wine market is more global than ever, but in fact, thousands of years ago the Phoenicians spread it throughout the Mediterranean, followed by the Greeks and Romans, and centuries later, the Catalans in America…

In the journeys of wine, we will review the history of the wine trade, without forgetting that there were also times of self-consumption. We will see the traditional means of transport used in each era, and we will pay special attention to the phenomenon of brandy and how this drink opened up markets for Catalan wine. Stills of all sizes and models! We must also remember that behind all of this lies a financial motivation—wine trading can be a very lucrative business. In fact, we will see the example of a family that made its fortune in the wine trade.

Of wine and art, religions, celebrations, after-dinner conversations, poetry, design… We set the table, serve the wine, and nothing ends—everything begins. We enter the world of the senses. Of pleasure. Of religions. Of various gods. Of artistic inspiration. Of euphoria. Of celebration. Of intoxication. Of prohibition. Of after-dinner conversation. Of genius. Of transcendence. Of excess. Of exuberance. Of endless discussion. Of toasts. Of poetry. Of each and every one of us.

The final section includes corners of great aesthetic beauty, a selection of around 500 wine labels, and an exhibition of some of the finest pieces from the collections of porrons, bottles, and glasses. Here, we can look Bacchus himself in the eye—brought directly from the Roman forum of Imperial Tarraco—and enjoy the lyricism that wine has inspired and continues to inspire in Catalan and world literature. Special mention should be made of the space dedicated to the arts and wine, where both classical and contemporary artworks are displayed, all with wine as their main theme. Names such as Manolo Hugué, Albert Ràfols-Casamada, Josep Guinovart, Eulàlia Valldosera, and Jaume Plensa are fine examples of how our most recent art history is also inspired by the most Dionysian muses.

This section also invites reflection on wine consumption through interactive screens where various personalities can answer our questions. And to finish, a grand celebratory toast.