Alella Wine Region Guide

Winemaking and regional classifications

You cannot pigeonhole the wines of this small but perfectly formed DO. That becomes all too apparent when tasting the expansive portfolio of the Alella Vinícola cooperative, founded in 1906. The range of high-quality wines is impressive here, particularly considering the very reasonable price point. Many of the top white wines are single-varietal – and indeed single-site – expressions of Xarel-lo; Cava’s signature grape reaches an apogee in Alella, noted for its exquisite bouquet of fennel and pine. However, it also blends exceptionally well with Chardonnay, as local winegrowers have proven. Small amounts of Macabeo, Malvasia, and Sauvignon Blanc are also found across the region. A real and incredible-value highlight from Alella is the classic white blends and more modern varietal wines, offering a light, fresh aroma, ripe fruit flavors, and real class for a brilliant price.

Meanwhile, the reds are predominately blends of Merlot, Garnacha, and Tempranillo, known locally as Ull de Llebre. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir also crop up; the final entry into this list can be surprisingly light and elegant, considering the warm Mediterranean climate. Elsewhere, red wines vary from the light and everyday to the thoroughly modern, barrel-aged, and powerful as local outfits continue to refine their winemaking style. The DO regulations permit winemakers to produce wines of all three colors – the growing volume of Alella rosé is a boon for Barcelona’s thriving hospitality sector. In the summer, it really hits the spot.

Geography and terroir

Alella, a tiny yet charming part of the Catalan landscape, takes its name from a small town in the Maresme region about half an hour up the coast from Barcelona. The vineyards are located along the coastline and run into the foothills of the Sierra de Parpes range. The climate is unabashedly Mediterranean, with relatively mild winters and long, warm summers. However, variations in altitude (ranging from 60 to 250 meters) engender a pleasing stylistic diversity in the wines – higher elevations tend to yield fresher styles than the low-lying land that flanks the sea. Thus, local winegrowers will tell you that the best climats (vineyard sites) are found in the higher-altitude sites on the Parpes slopes, which enjoy a more continental climate sheltered from the sea breezes. Wines of real concentration, balance, and structure are increasingly being produced from these superior terroirs.

Conversely, the oldest vineyards along the coast produce softer, less structured wines with lower acidity. The coastal vineyards are planted in dark soils, whereas the higher altitude areas, known as Valles, contain more limestone in the soil structure. The distinctive quality of the Alella terroir is the all-important topsoil, known as Saulo in Catalan. This sandy, granite-based soil retains heat and ensures that full ripeness is rarely problematic for Alella’s wine producers. But Alella is a very heterogeneous appellation, producing a broad palate that includes zesty whites, aromatic rosé, potent reds, and a small volume of dessert wines.

The lowdown

In the late 20th century, few would have predicted that Alella could have a sustainable future as a niche wine producer on the fringes of Barcelona. Urban sprawl was gobbling up vineyards at lightning speed, as few growers could resist the lure of easy money in exchange for their land. Yet while the area under vine is barely one-third of the acreage planted towards the end of the mid-1900s, Alella is far from an irrelevance to Catalunya’s wine industry. For one thing, a constant stream of eager visitors from the nearby capital provides an incentive to maintain the tradition of wine growing here. However, Alella is far from simply being an ersatz tourist enclave.

The real reason for the DO’s survival has been establishing markets outside Catalunya. Much credit for raising awareness of the Alella’ brand’ must go to the family-owned winery Alta Alella. Its passionate owners, enologist Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets and his wife Cristina Guillén purchased an estate in the beautiful Serralada de Marina Natural Park. The family planted their first vines in 1991, and the first vintage was released in 2001 to great acclaim. Today this beautiful estate is fully certified as organic and produces a fantastic range of reds, whites, and Cavas, which easily rival the best of their neighbors further south.

Alta Alella represents everything attractive and optimistic about the Alella region: a dynamic and forward-thinking approach combined with an age-old tradition of respecting the natural environment, which gives rise to such vibrant, fruit-driven, and exceptional value wines. As Mark Twain might say: “Reports of the death of Alella have been grossly exaggerated.”

Alella gastronomy

Catalans have truly mastered the art of fine gastronomy, so expect fresh ingredients, inventive combinations, sophisticated culinary techniques, and enough tapas to fill a subterranean cellar. Yet while there are excellent restaurants and bars to be found across this diverse region, nowhere can match Barcelona for variety and excitement. We, therefore, recommend that visitors to Alella head back to this seductive metropolis, where world-class chefs harness the best that Catalunya has to offer – farm to sea. Try the Butifarra.

Catalan Gastronomy Guide: Read more

History

The Catalans do not need to take lessons in wine growing! Indeed, there is evidence (ancient winemaking vessels have been uncovered during excavations) that this part of eastern Spain has been producing wine for centuries; the Phoenicians cultivated vines in Eastern Spain long before the Roman takeover of the Iberian Peninsula. Nevertheless, the Romans – who christened Barcelona as Barcino – made viticulture a nationwide industry in the 1st Century AD.

However, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, wine production in the Catalan region ceased to exist; it could not survive the onslaught of the Gothic and Vandal tribes from the North or the Moors who invaded Spain in 711. Catalunya’s wine resurgence occurred in the Middle Ages, re-introduced by religious orders from Burgundy and the Rhine, who brought their wine knowledge to Catalunya. Alella’s wines subsequently gained recognition and were served at the Royal Court in Aragon to great acclaim.

Yet the region’s aspirations for independence faded after the Catalan ruler Ramon Berenguer married Petronilla of Aragon. A mighty empire was created that day, stretching from Barcelona to Sicily and the Balearic Islands. Yet Catalunya had to follow when Aragon was absorbed into the Kingdom of Castile in the 15th century. Of course, this had little impact on the province’s thriving wine industry: by the 18th century, there were many more vines along the Mediterranean coast than there are today. Trade with the Americas, meanwhile, brought great prosperity to the Catalan wine trade in the 1700s. However, the Phylloxera louse’s advent at the end of the 19th century devastated many vineyards.

In the 20th century, Alella became famous for producing Spain’s sparkling Cava, today primarily made in the much larger Penedès wine region south of Barcelona. The region was awarded DO status in 1953; the zone has unfortunately never achieved the cachet of Priorat or Montsant, partly because continuing urban development has encroached on the available land. But there is much to celebrate: the 1980s heralded significant improvements in the winemaking methods as much-needed investment was used to modernize equipment and standards. The contemporary face of Alella winemaking is focused and proud, encompassing several quality-focused bodegas whose passionate owners continually strive to improve their international profile.