Spain

Penedès

 

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

After the phylloxera catastrophe at the end of the 19th century, bulk wines were produced for the time being. From 1960, the area developed further. At that time, the mayor of Barcelona decided that the region should meet the city's need for cheap red wine. As a result, some winemakers explored the new situation and experimented with higher quality and elegant red wines. However, a large part of the wines is processed into white wine and cava. In 2002, about 240,000 hl of white wine were produced, of which about a quarter was exported.

Well over a hundred grape varieties are cultivated, to a considerable extent also indigenous. 15 of them are approved for D.O. wines. Just over 60% are white grape varieties. The most important are the White Parellada (6,000 ha), Macabeu (6,600 ha), Xarel·lo (7,800 ha), Muscat d'Alexandrie (for sweet, fortified wines), Chardonnay (around 1,000 ha), Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc , Gewürztraminer and Riesling as well as the red Garnatxa, Monestrell, Cariñena, Tempranillo (here Ull de Llebre), Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Well-known and large wineries and wineries are Albet i Noya, Codorniu, and Torres.