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Catalan wine deserves a communication campaign commensurate with its attributes and for all this, the Government of the Generalitat, through the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda and INCAVI, is developing a global strategy ambitious to increase the knowledge and notoriety of our wines.
In this sense, in July 2022, the agenda was approved
In Catalonia there are more than 750 wineries and 8,500 winegrowers who, in addition to producing a wide range of wines that stand out for their quality (340 million bottles) are a guarantee of rooting the population in many regions and of conservation of the environment and landscape heritage.
Proximity is a growing value for consumers and, in Catalonia, everyone has a Denomination of Origin very close by. In fact, more than 53% of Catalan municipalities have vineyards, and both producers and winegrowers are proactive in the fight against climate change and the commitment to organic farming.
These are the 11 Denominations of Origin (aside from DO Cava) that draw the wine map of Catalonia:
The Terra Alta Denomination of Origin is one of Catalonia's historic ones. It is located between the Ebro River and the lands of Matarranya and has a high landscape value. The importance of Grenache and a specific culture of understanding its production make these wines the ones that best express what DO Terra Alta means.
The territory of the DO Tarragona is located between the Ebro River and the Mediterranean Sea. The typically Mediterranean climate and the marinade have a great influence on their wines. The whites are made mainly with indigenous varieties, Macabeu standing out among them, the bet decided to make the Tarragona Designation of Origin a unique DO.
This appellation of origin is the youngest in Catalonia, but that does not detract from the push that the producers put into their work and winemaking. Red wines are the most common in DO Montsant. Of the nearly 7.5 million kg of annual grape production, 90% correspond to red varieties with a prominent presence of Garnacha and Carignan.
The origin of the DOQ Priorat finds its roots in the Iberian era, with the arrival of the Carthusian monks. Vine cultivation is distributed at altitudes ranging from 100 meters to 750 meters above sea level. The landscape created by these vineyards is one of the characteristic features of the Priorat.
The Denomination of Origin of Penedès is the one with the most tradition in Catalonia. The soil and the climate differentiate the DO into 10 zones marked by a unique character, ranging from the sea to more than 800 meters of altitude. The most important grape variety is xarelello for white wines.
The history of viticulture in the Basin has been closely linked to the history of the region. Trepat, the indigenous variety of red grape, is the distinguishing reference for the excellent wines of the Conca de Barberà. Trepat provides delicate, fruity, fresh wines with spicy notes and a light alcohol content.
The Denomination of Origin Catalonia has a great heritage behind its wine-growing trajectory. The wine with DO Catalonia, with a marked Mediterranean character, represents more than 50% of Catalan wine with DO and houses up to 40,000 hectares of cultivation and a production of more than 60 million bottles.
Empordà and its wines are a sample of its contrasts, of the sea and the mountains that make this land of Carignan and Grenache unique. These two varieties are, today, the most planted and their implementation has not stopped growing in recent years. The Empordà wineries are mostly small and have a long tradition in winemaking.
Around the Denomination of Origin Costers del Segre there is a diverse territory spread over seven landscapes that give fruit to wines united in their intensity, breadth and balance. Wines with good acidity, freshness, strength and character. Its production extends along the Segre river basin and the Lleida Pyrenees.
Since 1995, the Pla de Bages Denomination of Origin protects and groups the wineries and wines produced in the districts of Bages and part of Moianès, all of them with family tradition and with their own vineyard. The most representative autochthonous variety of the area is the picapoll, which brings great personality to the wine.
Wine has been made in this territory for more than two thousand years and the creation of its cooperative was key to giving prestige and impetus to the name of Alella associated with wine. The terroir of DO Alella is defined by its characteristic saulón soil and the most characteristic grape variety of the area is the white raisin.
