What we talk about when we talk about Bar Brutal: this is a portrait of one of the world's most beloved bars and its fundamental role in the natural wine movement, a symbiotic relationship that spans from Barcelona to the world. Founded in 2013, Brutal is where a legendary cast of winemakers, sommeliers, chefs, musicians, and unrestrained drinkers gathered with the feeling that something was taking shape there, somewhere between an endless party and an intimate knowledge of wines. The book combines multiple intertwining threads, oscillating between structure and chaos, reflecting the methodology underlying the bar itself. At the heart of the work is Bar Brutal's first official cookbook, featuring 26 recipes, while collage sections blend archival images with stories—or revelations—from approximately 80 contributors, including Stefano Colombo, Joan Ramón Escoda, Christian Tschida, Nuria Renom, John Wurdeman, Thierry Puzelat, LCD Soundsystem, Peggy Gou, 2manydjs, Gilles Peterson, Aziz Ansari, Alice Feiring, and many others. Photographic reports by Adrià Cañameras, Nacho Alegre, and Yago Castromil document the dinners, wines, people, and spaces that animate the venue day and night, while four written chapters anchor the story in time and space, tracing the bar's evolution.
Created by Madeleine Willis, former Apartamento editor and long-time Brutal regular, the volume reflects the same energy that Brutal has infused into Barcelona and the vast world of wine since 2013, and celebrates over a decade of joyful, chaotic, and ever-expanding activity.
About Bar Brutal
Bar Brutal was founded in 2013 by Max and Stefano Colombo, exceptionally generous hosts and restaurateurs; Joan Valencia, co-owner of wine distributor Cuvée 3000; and Joan Ramón Escoda, a pioneer of natural winemaking in Catalonia. Since then, it has become a globally recognized epicenter for the natural wine movement, offering countless consumers an entry point into this world and, just as importantly, providing a space for winemakers, sommeliers, and all "wine enthusiasts" to exchange experiences, agricultural knowledge, specific language, and camaraderie before setting off to help spread the word.
Published by Apartamento Publishing S.L.
Release date: June 3, 2026
Dimensions: 165 x 240 mm
Pages: 320
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-84-09-83345-0
