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Penedés Wine Region

The Pride of Catalonia!

The Penedés wine region, which is located at less than an hour’s drive from Barcelona, is the largest, as well as the most productive region of Catalonia.

Not only this, Penedés is believed to be the place of origin of the world-famous Cava wines.

Undoubtedly, this is considered to be the most important wine region in terms of both volume and diversity. This is a DO wine region and is found to be having a long history of winemaking.

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Penedés has become popular as being the most exciting wine regions in the country and today it has become the must-visit place for all the wine lovers arriving at Barcelona.

Let’s see about the wines of this important wine region of Spain here….

Climate and Viticulture in Penedès

The climate in the Penedès region is obviously Mediterranean and hence the region is experiencing warmer summers and milder winters.

The region is found to be receiving moderate amounts of rainfall with most of the rainfalls occurring during spring and autumn.

However, we could find some significant variations in climate from one place to another because of the complex topography of the region’s coastal hills.

Due to this reason, the whole Penedès is divided into three sub-regions as described below.

Sub-Regions of Penedés

The whole Penedés region is divided into the following three sub-regions:

Baix Penedès: This is the lowland with the warmer climatic conditions. This is found to be located in the town of El Vendrell and extends towards the coastline of Costa Daurada. This sub-region is particularly famous for the fortified wines that are produced from the grape varieties like Malvasia and Moscatell d’Alexandria.

However, this region is also producing some of the non-fortified wines from the following varieties:

  • Carinyena
  • Garnatxa
  • Monastrell

Central Penedès: This part of the Penedès is lying between the coastal line and the mountain ranges. Placed in a broad valley, the region is about 490 meters above sea level. This region has the largest winery of Penedès called Bodegas Torres.

This region is considered to be an important region for Cava wines that are made from the following grape varieties:

  • Macabeo
  • Parellada
  • Xarel·lo grapes
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot noir
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo)

Alt Penedès: This is the upland region located in the foothills of the mountains. This region is found to be enclosing the Central Depression and is observed as the coolest part of this wine region. This region is exclusively famous for its white wines.

All about the Penedès D.O

The Penedès DO was created in the year 1960 and is covering dry, sweet, and sparkling wines of red, white, and rosé colors.

The region is found to have a unique approach towards high-quality wine production.

Thus, Penedès has become the first region to make use of temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for fermentation.

This region also has the pride of being the forerunners to experiment with non-traditional wine grapes like the following:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Chardonnay
  • Gewürztraminer
  • Merlot
  • Pinot Noir
  • Riesling
  • Sauvignon Blanc

In addition to all these, the popularity of this region is also coming from the production of sparkling Cava wines.

This region is the home for country’s two major producers of Cava: Codorníu and Freixenet.
Major Grape Varieties of Penedès

White Varieties:

  • Macabeo
  • Parellada
  • Xarelo
  • Subirat Parent

Red Varieties:

  • Garnacha tinta
  • Cariñena
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Tempranillo
  • Monastrell
  • Samsó

In general, the white wines that are produced in the Penedès region will be fruity and crispy whereas the red wines will be full-bodied and aromatic with deep colors.

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Author

Tharani Rajamanickam

Tharani Rajamanickam

Winewriter

I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..

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