VinoLoverThe proximity to the Mediterranean makes the DO Penedés a privileged place for wine production. The largest wine-growing area in Catalonia is located between the mountains and the sea that stretch from Barcelona to Tarragona.
The great variety of terroirs, with different soils and microclimates, together with the marked personality of indigenous grapes such as the emblematic Xarel·lo, offer a wide range of very diverse wines.
The geographical and climatic characteristics of the Penedès region
The vineyard area of the DO Penedés covers 26,000 hectares of vineyards, spread over 100 municipalities and with a total of 160 associated wineries.
In the Penedés there are three clearly distinguishable production sub-zones: Baix Penedés, which marks the Mediterranean coastal strip, making the climate the warmest of all due to the maritime influence; Central Penedés, with plains and small hills that rise from 200 to 400 metres above sea level; and Alt Penedés, where the hillsides and slopes are almost 800 metres high and the contrasts between maximum and minimum temperatures are greater, with frequent frosts in winter and spring.
The climate, of Mediterranean influence, is very varied, although not excessively extreme, giving the Penedès privileged conditions that allow it to produce quality wines. The soils are deep, with the presence of clay and sand, permeable, calcareous and poor in organic matter.
In the DO Penedés there is a predominance of small and medium-sized farms where most of the winemaking bodegas own their own vineyards, thus combining the care of their own vineyards with the production and ageing of wines.
Wines of the Penedés Denomination of Origin
In the Penedés region, the white grape varieties Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada are grown, and the red grape varieties Carignan, Grenache, Samsó, Ull de Llebre and Monastrell. Xarel·lo is the most widely planted grape in the Penedès and is noted for its great adaptability to the terroir of this wine-growing area.
However, the varieties that produce the most aromatic white wines are Chardonnay, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling and, in very limited proportions, Chenin Blanc such as, for example, Can Ráfols dels Caus.
There are good examples of barrel-aged white wines with Xarel.lo, such as the excellent Pardas Xarel.lo and Finca Viladellops Xarel.lo. Also sparkling wines made from a blend of this grape variety with Macabeo and Chardonnay, such as those of Gramona.
It is right here, in the Penedés, where the oldest plantations of Cabernet Sauvignon are found and where the most majestic, noble, aromatic and full-bodied red wines are produced, suitable for ageing in barrel and bottle (Torres and Jean Leon).
VinoLover
Claudio Comella
