Penedès: Wines with charm

Winegrowing in Penèdes in Catalonia began over 2700 years ago with the Phoenicians. No wonder! After all, the Mediterranean is right on the doorstep here. There was no better place to trade back then. Later, the Greeks also had their fingers in the winegrowing pie - as did the Romans even later. Archaeological finds suggest that there was already a lively wine trade in the port cities of the region in ancient times. The innovations of various monasteries were then added to this from the late Middle Ages.

In Penèdes, the monks played a leading role in viticulture for far longer than in other regions of the country. The best example of this is the Cistercian monk Josep Raventós i Fatjó, who, following a visit to Champagne in 1872, produced a sparkling wine using the traditional method based on the Champagne model. This was the birth of cava, the Spanish sparkling wine par excellence.

Speaking of Cava: the sparkling wine has its own DO (Denominación de Origen = protected designation of origin), which is spread across many wine-growing regions in Spain. However, DO Cava shares the main area with DO Penedès. For this reason, there are always very different figures when it comes to vineyard area and production figures. We have decided to look at the DO Cava figures separately, which is why they do not appear here. So let's take a look at the Penedès wines without Cava.

Penedès wine: geography and climate

The vineyards of the DO Penedès are located between Barcelona and Tarragona, in the middle of the Catalan coastal depression, between the coastal mountains and the small plains of the Mediterranean coast. While a Mediterranean climate clearly dominates on the coast, the continental influences are much greater inland. Here, there are very strong temperature fluctuations between day and night - mainly because the vineyards here thrive at an altitude of up to 800 meters above sea level. In general, the climatic influences in Pednedès are extremely varied, which is why the wine-growing region has been divided into ten different climatic zones:

• Alts d’Ancosa
• Conca de Foix
• Costers de l’Anoia
• Costers del Lavernó
• Costers del Montmell
• Marina del Garraf
• Massís del Garraf
• Montanyes d’Ordal
• Turons de Vilafranca
• Vall Bitlles-Anoia

Penedès: Wine styles

The average production of DO Penedès is 18 million bottles. Of this production, white wines make up around 52%, rosé wines 8%, red wines 35% and sparkling wines of the Clàssic Penedès brand the remaining 5%. The predominant white grape varieties are Xarel-lo, Macabeu and Parellada, but many other white grapes are also permitted. These include international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, which have been increasingly cultivated since the 1960s. The predominant red varieties are Ull de lebre (Tempranillo) and Carinyena (Cariñena), which form the basis of traditional viticulture in Penedès. However, international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah are also common.

White wine

White Penedès wines are very different. On the one hand, there are the youthful, fresh white wines, which are very harmonious and ideal for the summer months. On the other hand, there are also many white wines that have been matured in barrels. They are very full-bodied and round. As a Reserva or Gran Reserva, they also have very good ageing potential and accompany even aromatically complex dishes very well.

Red wine

The base of the red Penedès wines shines with plenty of fruit and liveliness. The tannin is not so prominent here, which is why these red wines can also be enjoyed very well when young. On the other hand, the Reserva and Gran Reserva levels of maturity have an excellent tannin structure and complex notes of spices, candied fruit and balsamic vinegar. These wines can mature for a little while longer.

Sparkling wine

In addition to cava, to which we dedicate a separate text here, two other Catalan sparkling wines are making a name for themselves, both from Penedès. The first is Corpinnat. Eleven sparkling wine producers from the Penedès region have joined forces for this. Corpinnat was launched in 2015 and officially recognized by the European Union at the end of 2017. The ageing period for these sparkling wines is at least 18 months. In addition, the grapes must come from organic farming. On the other hand, there are also 16 producers who have dedicated themselves to Clàssic Penedès. These are exclusively Reserva sparkling wines that have been aged on the lees for at least 15 months.

Penedès: Economic factor wine

As much as 90% of the vineyard area for Penedès wines has at least one organic certification. Such a high figure is very unusual worldwide. The growing region has set itself the goal of achieving 100% by the end of 2025. The climatic conditions with the sometimes very low rainfall make this possible. However, this is precisely what causes drought, which the region is increasingly struggling with. It is precisely this that has repeatedly led to reduced harvest volumes in recent years. At the same time, however, the reduced harvest volume also ensures natural market regulation. As a result, sales remain relatively stable.

The majority of Penedès wines are consumed domestically, with just under five million of the 18 million bottles produced annually being exported. European countries are the main buyers here - with Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands leading the way.

Your selling points for Penedès wines

• Wines in every price segment, so that many different customers can be targeted with them
• Many well-known brand names make selling easy
• You can also offer real insider tips
• Large selection of organic wines
• Excellent food accompaniments