4 Million Pesetas
In August 2006, Francesc Grimalt — former winemaker at Anima Negra and the man who rescued the native Callet grape from obscurity — teamed up with Sergi Caballero, musician and co-director of the Sónar festival, to create a winery with just 4 million pesetas (€24,000) and a radical idea: that great wine requires passion, not millions. Their first vintage was fermented in milk refrigeration tanks in a friend's garage. Today, from a converted sheep farm in Felanitx, they produce some of Mallorca's most distinctive wines — organic, indigenous, and unapologetically Mediterranean. "Wines are not made with numbers," says Grimalt. "They are made with feeling and poetry."
From a Garage to a Sheep Farm
Francesc Grimalt was already a legend in Mallorca before 4 Kilos existed. As winemaker and partner at Anima Negra, he had rescued the native Callet grape from near-extinction, proving that this obscure Balearic variety could produce wines of real character and finesse. But by 2006, Grimalt was ready for something new — a project that would reflect his personal vision without compromise [^153^][^154^].
He found his partner in Sergi Caballero, a musician and founding co-director of Sónar, Barcelona's legendary festival of advanced music and multimedia arts. Caballero brought not just capital — 4 million pesetas, colloquially "4 kilos" — but a radical aesthetic sensibility. The two shared a belief that wine, like music, should be an expression of place and personality, not a manufactured product. "There's no need to be a millionaire to make wine," Caballero often says. "All that's needed is passion and hard work" [^154^][^156^].
Their first vintage, in late September 2006, was made in the garage of a fellow winegrower. Fermentation and maceration took place in stainless steel milk refrigeration tanks — chosen because their shape created a large surface area of skin-to-juice contact. The remaining 50% was fermented in open 225-litre barrels. After 14 months of ageing, the wine was released in May 2008. It was an instant success — proof that humble beginnings and unconventional methods could yield extraordinary results [^154^][^156^].
In 2007, alongside Apolonia Viticultors, they converted a former sheep farm on the outskirts of Felanitx — a property owned by Francesc's parents — into their permanent winery. The building, with its rustic stone walls and rural simplicity, became the spiritual home of 4 Kilos: a place where tradition and innovation coexist, where sheep once grazed and now wine ages in old foudres and clay amphorae [^154^][^162^].
"Wines are not made with numbers, they are made with feeling and poetry."
— Francesc Grimalt
Call Vermell, Garrigue & Callet
The 4 Kilos vineyards are scattered across different parts of Mallorca — north and south — which is why the wines carry the Vino de la Tierra Mallorca (IGT) designation rather than a single DO. The soils are predominantly what locals call "call vermell" — a ferrous-clay soil that combines gravel with clay components. As Grimalt explains, "Clay retains water whereas gravel becomes as compact as cement, so the ground retains water on the lower layers and grapes reach full ripeness." It is a soil that demands respect and rewards patience [^156^][^154^].
The estate owns 15 hectares of vines and sources additional fruit from partner growers who share their organic philosophy. The vineyards are planted to a mix of native and international varieties: Callet, Manto Negro, Monastrell, and Fogoneu — the indigenous heart of Mallorcan viticulture — alongside Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. But the trend is gradually moving towards indigenous varieties. The flagship 4 Kilos cuvée is now 100% Callet, a statement of confidence in the grape that Grimalt has championed for decades [^156^][^158^].
Grimalt has returned to head-pruned vines and field blends, rejecting clones in favour of massal selection. "I detest clones," he admits. "Now we think of vineyards as forests. We are not hippies — the more diversity, the less problems we have." Natural vegetation cover is used between rows to obtain more concentrated grapes, better ground porosity, and increased microbial population. Nettle and sage strengthen the leaves and make them resistant to pests. It is viticulture as ecosystem, not monoculture [^156^].
Mallorca, Balearic Islands. Scattered parcels across north and south. Call vermell soils — ferrous-clay with gravel. Warm Mediterranean climate, sea influence. Garrigue scrubland. IGT Mallorca designation. 15 hectares own vines plus partner growers.
Certified organic. Native vegetation cover between rows. Head-pruned vines, field blends, massal selection. Natural pest control via biodiversity — mosquitoes and bees as predators. Nettle and sage treatments. No clones. Vineyard as forest.
Native: Callet (flagship), Manto Negro, Monastrell, Fogoneu. International: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Trend moving towards indigenous grapes. Callet now 100% of flagship cuvée. Each variety expresses the call vermell differently.
"We have been following the practices of northern wine regions; now it's time for the Mediterranean to define its own style." Adaptation to local conditions. Strain-soil-climate-growth as the core concept. Passion over capital. Feeling over numbers.
Milk Tanks, Clay Amphorae & Foudres
4 Kilos' winemaking is deliberately unconventional, shaped by the garage origins of the project and Grimalt's refusal to follow convention. Fermentation vessels include stainless steel tanks, old foudres, large barrels up to 600 litres, and clay amphorae — a diversity that allows each wine to find its best expression. Oak is limited and never new; the goal is to preserve the Mediterranean character of the fruit, not to mask it with vanilla and toast [^156^][^154^].
The first vintage's milk tank fermentation was not a gimmick but a practical solution — the tanks' shape created optimal skin-to-juice contact, and their stainless steel construction allowed precise temperature control. Today, the estate uses a mix of techniques: open-barrel fermentation for some reds, whole-cluster and carbonic maceration for others (like Tanuki Bob), extended maceration for the flagship Callet, and gentle pressing for the premium Grimalt Caballero. Indigenous yeast drives all fermentations [^154^][^156^].
Sulfur is used sparingly, if at all. The wines are neither fined nor filtered when possible. The focus is on the combination of strain, soil, climate, and growth — what Grimalt calls the "importance of the combination" rather than the importance of any single factor. The result is wines that taste unmistakably of Mallorca: scrubland herbs, Mediterranean sun, sea breeze, and the iron-rich earth of call vermell [^156^][^168^].
The Sónar Connection
Sergi Caballero's role at 4 Kilos extends far beyond finance. As art director and co-founder of Sónar — one of the world's most influential electronic music festivals — he brings a radical aesthetic sensibility to the winery's image. The labels change every vintage, each designed by a different artist or reflecting a new concept. The wines are named after electrical terms (12 Volts, Motor) or playful concepts (Gallinas & Focas — Hens & Seals). This fusion of wine and contemporary art is not marketing; it is a statement of philosophy. Just as Sónar bridges sound and technology, 4 Kilos bridges agriculture and creativity, tradition and futurism.
Mediterranean by Conviction
Francesc Grimalt is fundamentally an advocate of adapting viticulture and winemaking to the specific conditions of the Mediterranean. "We have been following the practices of northern wine regions," he claims. "Now it's time for the Mediterranean to define its own style." This is not a rejection of Burgundy or Bordeaux but a declaration of independence: Mallorca has its own voice, its own grapes, its own soils, and its own climate. The wines should reflect that [^156^][^168^].
The indigenous varieties are key to this identity. Callet — the grape Grimalt rescued from obscurity — produces lighter, more expressive wines than international varieties, with a Mediterranean character of scrubland and aromatic herbs that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Manto Negro brings freshness and floral notes. Monastrell adds depth and structure. Fogoneu contributes a wild, almost feral edge. Together, they create a palette that is uniquely Balearic [^156^][^158^].
4 Kilos has also become a social project. Through their partnership with Amadip Esment — a charity for the mentally handicapped — members actively participate in the harvest and winemaking of Gallinas & Focas. The estate's success has inspired a new generation of Mallorcan winemakers to work with native varieties and organic methods. And their wines now appear on the lists of world-class restaurants, from Barcelona to Copenhagen to New York, carrying the message that Mallorca is not just a tourist destination but a serious wine region [^156^][^162^].
"There's no need to be a millionaire to make wine; all that's needed is passion and hard work."
— Sergi Caballero
The 4 Kilos Range
All wines are made from organically farmed estate or partner fruit, fermented with indigenous yeast, and aged in a mix of stainless steel, old foudres, large barrels, and clay amphorae. Minimal sulfur, no fining or filtering when possible. The range spans the flagship Callet, the accessible 12 Volts, experimental Motor cuvées, the premium Grimalt Caballero, and collaborative projects like Gallinas & Focas. Labels change every vintage — each bottle is a unique artistic statement [^156^][^154^].