DO Penedès: Trying on the previous to construct the longer term

Steeped in historical past and capable of declare one of many Mediterranean’s longest uninterrupted winemaking traditions, Penedès has remained on the forefront of viticultural innovation and sustainability. Located midway between Barcelona and Tarragona, this DO boasts greater than 4,500ha of vineyards in Catalonia. The truth that it was one of many area’s producers that first launched an organic-certified wine to market was definitely not a coincidence. Moderately, It was the pure final result of a forward-thinking, engaged group that has lengthy positioned its distinctive terroirs and viticultural heritage on the coronary heart of the appellation’s strategic improvement.

Scroll down for the tasting notes and scores of
20 DO Penedès wines to attempt

4 a long time after these first natural wines have been bottled, DO Penedès as soon as once more positions itself as a pioneer: beginning with the 2025 classic all wines bearing the DO’s stamp can be licensed natural. This reaffirms a holistic dedication to sustainability, geared toward preserving the panorama and ecosystems that give the wines of Penedès their id and recognised high quality. These considerations have change into notably related in opposition to the backdrop of local weather change: the preservation of Penedès’ panorama, ecosystems and biodiversity – together with the genetic variety of native vines – has change into important within the face of future challenges.

{Photograph} provided by DO Penedès

Regional variety

It’s unattainable to know the wines and id of DO Penedès with out delving into specificities of every of its sub-zones and the range of its mesoclimates and terroirs. With altitudes starting from 0 to 600 metres above sea degree, Penedès slopes gently however decisively from the Mediterranean shore to the Ordal Mountains and the hills of Ancosa and Anoia. A posh mixture of soils – from dense loams to alluvial followers by the use of the distinct marls and limestones of the Garraf Massif – provides geological nuance to the topographic selection. Throughout all soil profiles, excessive percentages of energetic carbonates clarify the fleshy minerality that makes the wines of Penedès so distinctive and robustly elegant, even when remarkably totally different and expressive of the appellation’s subzones.

On the threshold between Mediterranean and continental influences, Penedès is an enchanting mosaic of terroirs woven collectively by mountainous winds and maritime breezes in a good looking dance throughout valleys and plateaus. Vineyards are nestled in giant stretches of Mediterranean woods, the wines uncannily evoking the wild herbs, pines and scrub that line the plots.

Aware viticulture, alongside ongoing analysis and improvement, have allowed Penedès producers to leverage and protect these pure property that are key to the area’s id – directly permitting and requiring a sustainability-led mindset.

Indigenous wealth

If panorama, soils and topography are the textured canvas on which the persona of Penedès is drawn, the DO’s distinct grapes – particularly its personal indigenous varieties – present its palette. Xarel·lo, the area’s flagship and most planted, is especially expressive of native terroir whereas additionally exhibiting unimaginable versatility: it produces vibrant whites, structured, age-worthy iterations, fleshy skin-fermented expressions and characterful sparklings. However there are lots of different native grapes – resembling Subirat Father or mother, Malvasia de Sitges, Sumoll and Xarel·lo Vermell, a darker-skinned mutation – which can be equally synonymous with Penedes’ historical past and id; all producing wines that protect unimaginable freshness and vibrant acidity.

The latter are attributes sought by the producers actively engaged within the analysis of each ancestral and new grape varieties – trying on the previous so as to sort out current and future climatic challenges. Such efforts already allowed the restoration of the quasi-extinct Forcada and Moneu. Many different likewise forgotten counterparts are presently being propagated and examined in view of its inclusion within the DO’s checklist of permitted varieties. In the meantime, there’s additionally curiosity in how some resistant varieties carry out throughout the area’s varied terroirs, offering helpful information because the DO prepares for its full-organic transition.

The outcomes of this collective dedication and energy are to be seen within the high quality of the wines crafted by the producers of DO Penedès and the important thing position that viticulture performs within the area’s tradition and economic system. In specializing in sustainability, due to this fact, Penedès producers are additionally preserving what makes this DO distinctive.

{Photograph} provided by DO Penedès

DO Penedès: 20 wines to attempt

Glowing

Albet i Noya, Efecte Ancestral
100% Xarel·lo
An ancestral-method glowing Xarel·lo during which the range’s juicy orchard fruit and herbaceous vibrancy are supported by intense minerality and a sturdy acid line. Tender perlage and creamy texture add to the wine’s class and food-pairing enchantment. Natural licensed.

Llopart, Vi·brant
100% Xarel·lo Vermell
With a refined pink hue and delicate effervescence, this elegant pétillant naturel is as characterful as it’s refined. Light notes of cranberry and pomegranate hover over an earthy layer of forest ground and bread dough. Lengthy moreish end. Natural licensed. 

Loxarel, Amaltea Brut Nature
Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada
Pure and intense traditional-method glowing with a sturdy core of pear, yellow apple, quince and lemon lined by dry wild flowers and toasted almonds. The saline, mineral construction provides each freshness and size. Natural and biodynamic licensed.

White

Can Descregut, Vermell
100% Xarel·lo Vermell
The pink-skinned mutation of Xarel·lo has a deeper fragrant profile and firmer grip than its lighter-hued sibling, which this wine, by way of ten hours of chilly maceration, underscores additional. Smoky, earthy lining to the white and crimson fruit and zesty liveliness all through. 

Can Feixes, Blanc Tradició
80% Xarel·lo, 20% Malvasia de Sitges
A sensible mix of two white varieties which can be synonymous with Penedès. Malvasia de Sitges’ refined florality and saline veil is completely wed to Xarel·lo’s white orchard fruit, wild fennel and linden. Pretty construction and ageing potential. Natural licensed.

Celler Credo, Can Credo
100% Xarel·lo 
Hailing from the producer’s eponymous winery, this interprets Penedès’ flagship selection in a pure if uncompromising approach. Fermented in used French oak barrels following a brief maceration, it reveals nice fruit focus and scrumptious textural grip. Natural and biodynamic licensed. 

Mas Escorpí, Font Jui
100% Xarel·lo 
Utilizing the free-run juice solely, that is the purest of Xarel·los, fermented spontaneously in French oak barrels the place it then ages on its lees. The result’s a centered and poised wine, with filigreed smokiness over attribute notes of Mediterranean herbs and citrus. Natural and biodynamic licensed. 

Joan Sardà, Ancorat
100% Sumoll
Fascinating tackle the versatile crimson selection Sumoll in a blanc de noirs iteration constructed round its assertive acidity, fleshed with juicy citrus (clementine, grapefruit and lemon). Pretty persistence with fingering notes of fennel, mint and sage. Natural licensed.

Juvé & Camps – Propietat d’Espiells, Viver d’Espiells
100% Malvasia de Sitges
This expression of this indigenous, idiosyncratic member of the Malvasia household builds its complexity upon the vinification of three totally different elements: in chrome steel, amphorae and oak. The result’s an intense, layered and age-worthy wine. Natural licensed.

Muscàndia, Viader – Davant del Corral
100% Xarel·lo 
Single-vineyard, limited-edition Xarel·lo, partially fermented in French oak barrels. Nuanced nostril with ripe white orchard fruit topped with smoky wooden and dry herbs. Spherical and weighty on the palate with out lack of freshness and drive. Natural licensed.

Sumarroca, Il·lògic Xarel·lo
100% Xarel·lo
Classical and approachable, that is made with fruit from a 40-year-old winery planted on clay soils. The latter offers weight to the fruit with intense grapefruit, each white and pink, pineapple, pear and peach. Recent, clear end. Natural licensed.

U Mes U, De Llevant
100% Malvasia de Sitges
Filled with persona and outstandingly balanced, this wine actually showcases the potential of this indigenous grape. 15% was fermented on the skins which helps to underscore the range’s salinity, lifted by fantastic floral and natural notes. Natural licensed.

Orange

Anima Mundi, Pells
100% Macabeu
A very advanced, textural expression of Macabeu, hailing from a north-facing winery planted in 1969. 98 days on the skins in clay amphorae, adopted by two months in French oak, lead to a wine with fleshy orchard fruit, intense zestiness and a protracted, spicy end.

Vins el Cep, Clot del Roure Brisat
100% Xarel·lo
Penedès’ flagship selection in all its may, whole-bunch fermented in 600-litre chestnut barrels, the place it macerates with all of the solids for 3 weeks. It then spends 9 months on the lees in French oak barrels. Advanced, fleshy, textural and unapologetic. Natural and biodynamic licensed. 

Rosé

Can Sumoi, La Rosa
40% Xarel·lo, 60% Sumoll
Light florality offset by intense minerality and fantastic tannins on this quintessentially Catalonian rosé, the place herbs and wealthy citrus are outlined by a fantastic salinity. Watermelon, pomegranate, sage, tarragon and hibiscus play within the background. Natural licensed.

Purple

Can Ràfols dels Caus, Sumoll
100% Sumoll
A singular Sumoll, fermented and aged in chestnut barrels. Pomegranate, bitter cherry, redcurrant and mountain herbs are sprinkled with black pepper and cocoa powder. Intense, with agency but refreshing tannins and a protracted chocolatey end. Natural licensed. 

Familia Torres, Clos Ancestral Negre
Garnatxa Negra, Moneu, Ull de llebre
An fascinating mix, based mostly on the ancestral selection Moneu, recovered by the Torres household. Floral notes (violets, roses) lead the nostril, adopted by intense cherry, plum and redcurrant jam. Intense, deep palate with velvety however agency tannins. Natural licensed. 

Heretat Mont-Rubí, Gaintus Vertical 
100% Sumoll
Heretat Mont-Rubí has lengthy championed the indigenous crimson selection Sumoll, of which it makes many fascinating iterations, highlighting its pure freshness and savoury enchantment. Right here the range ages for 12 months in French oak, with a refined spicy lining and tannic poise added to the trademark juicy crimson fruit. 

Jean Leon, Vinya Le Havre Reserva, Vino de Finca Calificada
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Elegant, balanced and age-worthy mix of the 2 Cabernets, from a winery planted in 1968. A fantastic, spicy layer and notes of espresso, mocha and darkish chocolate add depth to the juicy blue and black fruit. Strong but elegant tannic construction. Natural licensed. 

Pardas, Collita Roja
100% Sumoll
Profiting from Sumoll’s elegant rusticity, this wine – fermented naturally in a mix of barrels, concrete eggs and chrome steel vats – combines wild berries with crunchy plum and savoury Mediterranean herbs, all held by agency, earthy tannins. Natural licensed. 

Uncover extra about DO Penedès

Join on
Fb | Instagram | X | Youtube