Penedès

Penedès (Spanish: Panadés ) is the most important wine region of Catalonia and emerged in the late 1960s.

Location

It benefits from its proximity to the port of Barcelona. The D.O. with 27,500 hectares of vineyards divided ascending from the coast into three zones Baix Penedès ( lowland up to 250 m above sea level), Mitja Penedès (up to 500 m) and Alt Penedès ( to 850 m). The floors are of different nature: At sea level, they are sandy, while in the mountains more chalky limestone is found. In the river valleys is also distributed to find alluvial soil. Everywhere the drainage is good. In general, the climate is warm and quite humid, with high temperatures in summer and very cold conditions in winter. The average rainfall is - depending on the zone - between 500 and 900 mm per year. The Mediterranean influence makes for a mean duration of sunshine of 2,500 hours / year.

Wine

After the phylloxera disaster at the end of the 19th century for the time being mass produced wines. From 1960, the area continued to develop. At that time decided by the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​that the region should meet the needs of the city of cheap red wine. This meant that some winemakers explored the new situation and made experiments with higher quality and elegant red wines. A lot of the wines, however, convert into white wine and cava. In 2002, approximately 240,000 hl of white wine were produced, of which about one quarter was exported.

There are well over a hundred varieties cultivated to a considerable extent also local. 15 of which are approved for D.O. wines. Just over 60 % are white grape varieties. The most important are the white Parellada ( 6,000 ha), Macabeo ( 6,600 ha), Xarel · lo ( 7,800 ha), Muscat d' Alexandrie ( for sweet, fortified wines ), Chardonnay (about 1,000 ha), Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Riesling and the red Garnacha, Monestrell, Carintilde, Tempranillo ( here Ull de Llebre ), Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Known and large vineyards and wineries are Albet i Noya, Codorníu and Torres.

The characteristic of the wines

• White (in Catalan Blanc, Blanco in Spanish ): Alcohol 11.5-12.5 % The typical regional Macabeo, Parellada Xarel · lo or are fruity and light. The palate is pleasant, but should be drunk within a year.
• Rosé (in Catalan Rosat, in Spanish Rosado ): Alcohol 12-13% - Color: Rose and raspberry colors. The nose is aromatic, fresh. On the palate, pleasant, easy to drink.
• Red ( in Catalan Negre, in Spanish Tinto ): Alcohol 12-13% - Color: Dense, strong cherry to garnet. Nose: right fruity aromas, combined with fine wood finishes, occasionally körperarm. Palate: Most concentrated and full-bodied.

Attractions

In the Wine Museum of Vilafranca del Penedès traces of winemaking in this region can be traced back to the 4th century BC. Many wealthy Romans had their own wineries in the Penedès and Pliny the Elder ( 23-79 AD) appreciated the excellent wines.