DO Penedès

Although there are both white and red grapes, the most representative variety is xarel·lo, which makes intense still or sparkling white wines with character.

It is Catalonia's largest and most varied territorial DO, where all kinds of wines are made: whites, rosés and reds, young and for ageing, but also sparkling and even sweet wines.

Its proximity to Barcelona and the Costa Daurada makes DO Penedès a major wine tourism destination

DO Penedès stretches along the Mediterranean shore between the rivers Llobregat and Gaià, between Barcelona and Tarragona, sheltered by the Pre-coastal Range and reaching as far as the Montserrat mountains, in a territory always open to the influence of the Mediterranean.

The land consists of small hills rising from the sea up to Montserrat, passing through the small valleys of the various rivers that flow there. The climate is Mediterranean, temperate, warm and mild, with notable seasonal temperature swings. Low rainfall and high sunshine help make Penedès an optimal area for vine growing.

The DO comprises three distinct zones spread across the counties of Alt and Baix Penedès, Garraf, Anoia, Baix Llobregat and some land in Alt Camp and Tarragonès.

They are Upper Penedès, close to the Pre-coastal Range (Alt Penedès, Alt Camp, Anoia and Baix Llobregat), which enjoys more frequent rainfall and greater contrast between maximum and minimum temperatures; Maritime Penedès (beside the sea and the Coastal Range, basically in the Baix Penedès and Garraf counties), with a milder climate owing to the influence and proximity of the sea; and Central Penedès, between the two and mainly in Alt Penedès, with transitional climatic conditions balanced between the two microclimates.

DO Penedès is widely recognised for the quality of its white wines, both those made from the traditional varieties xarel·lo, macabeo and parellada and those from varieties successfully introduced and acclimatised over the years: mainly chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc.

The young white wines are rich in aromas, with a soft texture and a good balance between acidity and alcohol. Whites fermented or aged in barrel are also made, more powerful and with more complex aromas, able to evolve positively over two to five years.

Xarel·lo, the expression of a territory

Even so, xarel·lo is the most widely planted grape variety in the DO and is excellently adapted to Penedès soils and climates. It yields young wines with body, balanced acidity, fruity, aromatic and with good alcohol levels. Aged xarel·lo wines are consistent, warm, long, with a mineral finish and markedly varietal expression.

As a result of constant innovation, the recovery of its own vanished varieties and attention to new trends, DO Penedès also offers a wide range of quality red wines. The most widespread varieties are cabernet sauvignon, merlot and ull de llebre, and the cultivation of sumoll and red grenache is being recovered.

And the sparkling wines: Clàssic Penedès

Coexistence in the same territory with DO Cava has led DO Penedès also to cover sparkling wines, albeit always in a much smaller volume than still wines. These are the Clàssics Penedès, made using the traditional and ancestral methods also used for the rest of the world's finest quality sparkling wines.

The Clàssics Penedès are defined by two very strict requirements: they must be made exclusively from certified organic grapes and must have a minimum bottle ageing of fifteen months.