White Grapes
Gewürstraminer
This grape is cultivated in the upper Penedès area and it is one of the few aromatic white varieties that provide intense and distinctive scented wines. Its primary aroma, before vinification, developed into great aromatic splendor after fermentation.
White Grapes
Macabeu
This is a large, very compact, golden-yellow, round grape with a fine skin and a white pulp. This vigorous variety produces good yields in fertile and luxuriant soils. It is sensitive to diseases caused by fungi (mildew, powdery mildew, and Botrytis). It has a moderate alcohol content., particularly when yields are high. Macabeu is recommended for making dry wines and bases for sparkling wines.
White Grapes
Malvasia
Mediterranean variety, cultivated in the coastal Penedès, near Sitges. White, sweet and fine grapes, it produces fresh and aromatic wines, but is also suitable for sweet and aged wines.
White Grapes
Moscatell
This grape, which is also known as Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat d’Alsace and Moscato d’Asti, was loved by Greeks and Romans. It is a remarkably sensuous grape with a subtle orange perfume. Its high sugar content makes it a great producer of dessert wines.
White Grapes
Moscatell d'Alexandria
This ancient variety is grown throughout the world’s winemakers areas. Although the grapes are large and loose, they are sensitive to blossom drop. It is a great variety with a lot of potential uses: it may be used for winemaking and for producing juices, raisings and grapes for eating. In winemaking it is mainly used to make natural sweet wines and liquor wines, some of which are dry. They are highly perfumed and have a very characteristic aromatic nature, by which the variety can be recognized. Mediterranean wine culture is chiefly associated with this variety.
White Grapes
Parellada
This is a large compact grape, with a thick skin and a greenish-yellow pulp. It is late in ripening, sensitive to drought and fairly sensitive to botrytis and mildew. It is best when grown at altitudes of over 450 meters above sea level. It produces wines that have a low alcohol content yet a high aromatic quality, mainly in cooler areas. This productive, high quality grape is one of the basic varieties used to make cava and thrives in Tarragona, Conca de Barberá, Costers del Segre, and Penedès.
White Grapes
Picapoll blanc
This variety is grown solely in Pla de Bages area. It is late budding and has a semi-wilted appearance that produce medium-sized and rather compact cluster. It produces unique, well-structured wines with a fair alcohol content and a spicy bouquet that may be matured in oak. The Pla de Bages D.O. is likewise a manifestation of its uniqueness.
White Grapes
Riesling
Found in upper Penedès, this is one of the few varieties with a characteristics primary aroma, that can be noticed even before vinification. Wines made from this variety are fragrant, very fruity, with a fresh dry body.
White Grapes
Sauvignon Blanc
This variety was originally from La Gironde in France, but is now grown all over the world. It is a very small, compact grape with a spherical shape and a greenish yellow color. It has a consistent pulp and an intense bouquet. This variety is very aromatic and well-adapted to warm, temperate climates. It buds early and is resistant to the cold.
White Grapes
Xarel·lo
This aromatic variety has special importance in the cava-producing region of El Penedès and Alella, where it is known as Pansá. It is fairly sensitive to powdery mildew and to mildew. In the right conditions it can produce good yields. It adapts well to most soils up to an altitude of 400 meters. Clusters are medium-sized and not very compact. It produces a well-structured, balanced wine that has a rather strong body and is slightly acidic. This grape is recommended for the production of dry wines. It produces wine with a medium to high alcohol content, very suitable for the production of vintage wines.
Red Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon
Originally from Bordeaux, the berries of this grape are small and have a very intense color. It is quite a vigorous late budding variety, with rather erect foliage and medium internodes. It is susceptible to powdery mildew. It adapts to both cold and warm climates and grows best in dry or well-ventilated areas. It does not take to excessively fertile or wet soils. It adapts well to diverse pruning methods that befit the climate and soil conditions. Production is regular and constant. It ripens in the third period of growth.
Red Grapes
Cariñena (also called Mazuela or Samsó)
This variety is typical of the semiarid zones of Catalonia and Aragon. This grape, which produces robust and balanced wines, is an excellent complement to the Garnacha grape. It produces wines which, in such conditions, easily reach a fair alcohol content. The cluster is medium-sized, conical and compact. It produces high yields on a regular basis. Mid-season budding. It is very sensitive to powdery mildew. It is grown widely in the Catalan regions of Costers del Segre, Penedès, Tarragona and Terra Alta.
Red Grapes
Garnacha Negra
This variety is found mainly in the winemaking areas of southern Catalonia (Terra Alta, Priorat, Tarragona) but is also grown in the Empordá region. Its berries are dark reddish violet, spherical and have a thick skin and sweet taste. It is a vigorous early budding variety with robust shoots and short internodes. It adapts well to diverse areas.. It can be trained in different shapes provided it is given space and long but not very light pruning. Yields are good and constant. Mid-season ripening.
Red Grapes
Merlot
Merlot stock is very vigorous. It is a medium-vigor early budding plant with normal, short internode shoots and balanced foliage. Its cluster is semi-pyramidal and winged. It may be trained and pruned using different methods. It is therefore easily grown with medium pruning. The planting pattern may also vary to suit the environment and particularly the fertility of the soil. It produces medium yields. It is harvested in the second period of growth. It resists disease well.
Red Grapes
Monastrell
This sweet and productive grape yields wines with a deep color and medium to high alcohol content. It is grown widely in Costers del Segre and Penedès regions of Catalonia.
Red Grapes
Pinot Noir
It is one of the most refined, elegant international varieties, originally from Burgundy. Its berries are small, dark violet and coated in an abundant bloom. The skin is thick and the pulp is soft. The cluster is very small, cylindrical, compact, normally with one more obvious wing, and a short, thick flower stem. The vine produces a medium yield. Although it adapts to different soils, it grows better if they are neither excessively fertile or wet. It prefers cold or temperate climates and good exposure. It is picked quite early and harvests are sometimes brought forward to produce base wines for sparkling wines.
Red Grapes
Syrah
This eastern variety is very well adapted to the Mediterranean area. It is sensitive to drought, powdery mildew and botrytis. It adapts well to both granitic and clay calcareous soils. It is easy to grow, but a difficult grape with which to make quality wines. Yields must be controlled while the concentration of aromas in winemaking must be preserved. The fermentation period should be long, temperature requires strict control and the wine must be matured in oak casks. The cluster is medium-sized, compact and cylindrical. Budding and ripening are mid-season. It provides medium and not very constant yields. Long pruning is required for it to bear fruit. The must has a high tannin content.
Red Grapes
Trepat
A native variety of the La Conca de Barberá, but is also found grown in Costers del Segre. It is early budding and sensitive to spring frosts. It is not very sensitive to cryptogamic diseases but it is to chlorosis in calcareous soils. It yields very characteristic wines with a fair degree of acidity and medium alcohol content. It is used to make rosé wines and base wines for highly unique widely acknowledged cavas, which enabled Conca de Barberá D.O. to adopt this grape as a defining characteristic.
Red Grapes
Ull de Llebre o Tempranillo
This variety is typical of many regions of Spain, because of its superb quality and aroma. It is vigorous and has a semi-erect appearance. The cluster is medium-sized, compact, long and winged. It adapts to any soil although it produces the highest quality musts when grown in sunny areas. It is not very sensitive to spring frosts but is fairly sensitive to powdery mildew. Stocks produce medium yields. It is mid-budding and ripens in mid-September.
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