User:MIckStephenson/Penedès
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Penedès is a Catalan winemaking region and former administrative division spanning the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona in the north-east of Spain. The wine-growing area is framed by the coastal hills of the Garraf and the higher, inland Serralada Prelitoral mountains which skirt the Central Depression, but is at variance with the boundaries of the traditional vegueria (province) of the same name.
The Penedès Denominación de Origen (DO) (Catalan: Denominació d'Origen) was first approved by the Spanish authorities in 1932 and formalised in 1960.[1] Perhaps better-known for its Cava production (a sparkling wine which achieved its own Denominación de Origen|Denominació in 1991) white grape varieties predominate, although the region also produces some highly-regarded, oak-aged reds. 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.[2]
Administratively, the Penedès region has been divided into several smaller counties or comarcas since 1939, although there have recently been some undertakings to reunite the region in the course of re-establishing the Catalan vegueria system in 2010.[3] While daft legislation proposes to further divide the Penedès between three of the seven new vegueries, a vociferous campaign in favour of an eighth division hopes to re-establish the region along historical boundaries,[4] though these are expected to be independent of the current boundaries of the DO.
Wine region | |
Official name | Denominació d'Origen Penedès |
---|---|
Type | DO |
Years of wine industry | 1500 |
Country | Spain |
Part of | Catalonia |
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 |