Wine region | |
Official name | Denominació d'Origen Penedès |
---|---|
Type | DO |
Years of wine industry | 1500 |
Country | Spain |
Sub-regions | Lower, Central, Upper |
Growing season | April - September |
Climate region | IV |
Heat units | 3500 |
Precipitation (annual average) | 400 mm |
Soil conditions | poor, permeable, variable: clay to chalk |
Total area | 1557 km² |
Size of planted vineyards | 260 km² |
Grapes produced | 1,800 t/km² |
Varietals produced | Parellada, Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Garnacha, Tempranillo, Merlot |
Wine produced | 33,000,000 litres |
Official designation(s) | Cosecha, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva |
Comments | 2005 |
Penedès (Catalan pronunciation: [pənəˈðɛs]) is a Spanish Denominación de Origen, DO (Catalan: Denominació d'Origen), for wines in Catalonia (Spain). Penedès DO includes all Penedès region and municipalities of four other counties: Anoia, Alt Camp, Baix Llobregat and Tarragonès. The area is framed by the coastal hills of the Garraf Massif and the higher inland mountains which skirt the Central Depression.
Long considered one of the country's best wine-producing regions after the Rioja, it is also one of the most ancient viticultural areas in Europe. Perhaps better-known for its cava production (a sparkling wine which has had its own Denominación de Origen since 1991) white grape varieties predominate, although the region also produces some highly regarded, oak-aged reds.
The Denominació d'Origen Penedès is centred in the regional capital, Vilafranca del Penedès, with nearby Sant Sadurní d'Anoia the acknowledged centre of Cava production. Besides these two, the principal towns are Vilanova i la Geltrú, Sitges and el Vendrell. The Penedès denominación includes 66 municipalities.