Vins Can Novell

On Carrer de Bonaire, right in the heart of Binissalem's wine town, sits Vins Can Novell – a family bodega that has been run by the same lineage since 1932. Today it's the fourth generation, Andreu Villalonga, standing behind the counter, carrying on what his great-grandfather started: pouring and selling wine the same unpretentious way it has always been done here. Step through the door and you step back in time. The tasting room has kept its original character – a vaulted ceiling built in the traditional shipwright style and walls of raw natural stone speak to the long history of the place. Large, old wooden casks line the room, and wine is still drawn straight from them today.

The heart of what's on offer is bulk wine: local country wines are bottled, but also poured loose into jerrycans and demijohns – a practice that has become rare across Mallorca but remains a living tradition here. Locals bring their own containers, have them filled, and return once empty. Some regulars mention having bought here for over two decades – this unpolished, unpretentious ritual is repeatedly singled out by visitors as the thing that makes this place special.

Alongside the loose wine, the house's own vermouth counts among its most praised products. Several guests mention it specifically and recommend it as the thing to try here. The value for money is also consistently praised – the wines here are seen as honestly priced, without the markup of more touristy addresses. The range covers whites, reds and rosés, both young and aged bottlings, though a few visitors note the selection isn't especially large.

For those who want it, a tasting can be arranged: several visitors describe guided sessions of six or seven wines, with the family walking guests personally through production, origin, and the character of each pour. These tastings are consistently described as informative and warm – no polished show, but a conversation with people who have practiced this craft for decades. Groups, too, can arrange a personal tour by simply reaching out to the family business directly.

Vins Can Novell doesn't present itself as a showcase winery with manicured vineyards for visitors; it is, as it has been for over ninety years, a place where wine is still sold the way grandparents did it – honestly, straight from the barrel, without staging. For many visitors, that's precisely the appeal: an encounter with a living piece of Binissalem's wine culture, far removed from the polished tasting rooms of bigger houses – a stop some regulars return to on every single trip to Mallorca.