Profile of Wine Region, Penedés
Penedés Wine Map
Wineries in Penedés Region
Catalonia's premiere wine region of Penedes (located less than an hour south of barcelona)
produces a range of excellent still wines ranging from delicate whites to beefy reds, as
well as the flagship Cava. Traditional Method Cava is made with the indigenous grapes of
Xarel.lo and Parellada. Excellent Boutique Cava companies include Raventos Blanc, Gramona,
and Pares Balta. Freixenet and Codorniu are the two largest and ubiquitous Cava companies.
The wealth of Penedes terroir is well-known and the region's indigenous grape varieties are
held in increasingly high esteem, along with the best international grapes. The winemakers
in Penedes employ thousand year old Mediterranean wine making practices with a modern twist.
Wines with the Penedes DO can be found on the menus of the best restaurants all over the
world. The range of wine styles in Penedes, from the fresh whites to the elegant Cavas and
velvety red wines is one of the most extensive in the world.
There are many internationally famous brands and important wineries like Miguel Torres and
Jean Leon. Torres, is one of the Spanish trailblazers of the Modern Spanish industry and is
responsable for groundbreaking research on the Catalan grape varietals. . Penedes is an
enclave of culture and art, from the wine villages to the cities, from Sitges to Barcelona.
The region is steeped in histpory and garced with architecture from the likes of avant-garde
geniuses like Gaudi, Cadalfach and Domenech i Montaner. For the wine loving tourist, the
Penedes regions itself is as interesting as its wines, full of intrigue and culture.
Penedes is one of the oldest wine regions in Spain and although Chardonnay was the first grape
planted now the abundance of indigenous red and white grapes are the calling cards of this
region. The soil is mostly limestone and ideal for viticulture. The 1950's brought the return
of the sparkling wine industry, or Cava, and it has been made in Penedes since 1890.
Parellada, Macabeo, Xarel.lo, and Chardonnay are the main grapes used in Cava, all aged after
fermentation for a minimum of 9 months by law. 95% of Spanish Cava is produced in Penedes.
Cava became its own denomination in 1986. The well known Torres family became the instrumental
link to the modernization of the Cava and Penedes wine region. They began experimenting with
French variatels in conjunction with the local Spanish ones.
There are 3 sub-regions in Penedes: Bajo (lower), Medio (middle), and Alto (upper). The Bajo
region is on the coastline and has a very hot climate The soil is both limestone and clay and
it is the best region for the Garnacha and Tempranillo grapes. The Medio region accounts for
60% of total regional harvest. It concentrates mostly on white grape varietals such as
Xarello and Macabeo. It streches along the hills and is cooler than the coastal climate.
The Alto region is the highest and most humid, similar to Bordeaux. The soil is very chalky
producing many white wines in this region, like Parellada. It is interesting to note that
the most well know type of wine, Cava, gathers the grapes from other regions. White wines
predominate this region with a 90% local grape use of Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada
varieties. The wines themselves tend to be aromatic, light, and contain a lemony fruit taste.
The red wines are almost entirely made of Cabernet Sauvignon and by a small number of
producers.
By Jennifer Drapisch
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Wine Tour Penedes
Deluxe weekend by luxury Mercedes to wine estates in the Penedes and Emporda, gastronomic walking tour and city break to Barcelona and plush 17th century villa hotel in the Costa Brava...