North-East Spain - Catalunya - Penedes

Answer 1

1. 6th BC: introduction of Chardonnay vines by the Phoenicians
2. 19th: one of the first regions in Spain to begin mass production. Birth of the Cava industry before Phylloxera in 87
3. 1960s-70s: Miguel Torres, spearhead a radical transformation by using temperature control and stainless steel and by experimenting with international varieties e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, etc.
4. 1980s: others producers followed and Penedes became one of the most dynamic region in Spain•
5. Late 90s: Penedes got overshadowed by Priorat’s reds.
6. Now: still most important DO in Cataluña

Answer 2

• North-east of Spain, south west of Barcelona
• Mostly well-drained, deep poor quality soils of Miocene sediments
• Mostly Mediterranean climate but a wide variety of micro-climates due to the proximity to the coast and the varied terrain rising up to 800m high
• Coastal areas are very hot & dry while some areas inland can reach 900mm rainfall and are prone to frosts

Answer 3

1. Baix Penedes
   
   1. Low-lying coastal area, From the sea up to 250m high
   2. Hot Mediterranean climate; the warmest of the 3 zones; sandy soils
   3. Mostly planted with Garnacha, Carinena and Monastrell for sturdy reds
2. Mitja-Penedes
   
   1. 250-500m altitude w more temperate climate; chalk & clay soils
   2. Centre of Cava production w Xarel-lo, Parellada & Macabeo dominating. Also Ull de Llebre and Cab Sauv.
3. Alt-Penedes
   
   1. 500-850m with a cool continental climate similar to Northern France (cold nights & frost danger) but long, sunny growing season. Predominance of Limestone.
   2. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Riesling
   3. Lower yields and frost risk.

Answer 4

Reds (33% of production)

1. Ull de Llebre aka Tempranillo
2. Premier native black grape w thick skin that ripens early i.e. several weeks earlier vs. most Spanish red grapes (temprano: ‘early’)
3. Wines are med->full bodied, low to med+ acidity, w med tannins and flavours of strawberry, cherry, raspberry & plum. Oak and ageing add flavours of herbs, mushrooms, leather & tobacco
4. Garnacha
5. Buds early and requires a long growing season to fully ripen (often the last grape after Cab Sauv to be picked)
6. Vigorous vines i.e. hi yields that prefers hot dry soils
7. Thin skins w light pigments -> pale colour
8. The wines are hi in alcohol, low in tannins w relatively light flavours of raspberries, strawberries
9. Monastrell
10. Buds & ripens late (-> warm climate)
11. Thrives in south facing slopes with shallow, water-retaining clay soils
12. Dark, full bodied wines w hi acidity, hi tannins, med+ to hi alcohol w a fruity(bramble fruits) & meaty aromas that develop into leather, mushroom & spicy aromas with age

Others: Carinena, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Samso

Answer 5

Whites (66% of production)

1. Xarel-lo

Most aromatic of the grapes use for Cava

2. Parellada

Provides acidity + freshness

3. Viura aka Macabeo

Floral fresh fruit character with good acidity when grown in low yields

Others: Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Moscatel

Answer 6

27,000ha – DO since 91

Key producers:
Bodegas Torres – 25m btls

1. Family company created in 1870; most extensive vineyards in Penedes (1,500ha) & largest winery in Spain
2. Made famous by Miguel Torres Carbó in the 40-50s when he toured the world to promote his wines extensively and started estate bottling before his son introduced new viticulture (e.g. trellis systems) winemaking techniques incl. stainless steel and temperature control in the 60s
3. Owns estates and joint ventures in Curico, Sonoma and China

Codorníu
- #1 producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine in world. 65% of turnover is from Cava. Wines made from

3 traditional Cava grapes, with no wine ‘imported’ and 10% of blend reserve wine. Have made some

Cava with Chardonnay since 1992’s vintage Cava. Expanded in US and Duero.

Freixenet
- largest exporter of Cava, name comes from La Freixeneda, a plantation of ash trees originally owned by Pedro Ferrer’s family. 150million bottles produced every year. Focused on exports. International expansion too.