Catalan Wines

For sure one of the gastronomic gems of Catalonia are the wines. The best part is that although they are high quality and most are fairly affordable. Furthermore you’ll have a wide selection of local wines from red, white, and even the local sparkling wine called Cava. Although Catalan winemaking has a fairly long history, the support for Catalan wines ‘Denominación de Origen’ or DO was established in 1999.

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Wine Regions of Catalonia

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If you are an avid wine connoisseur you’ll likely be interested in a exploring the wines of Catalonia Although the regions are partially grouped by types of wines, over time they have mixed a bit.

Arguably the most famous is the region of Priorat, which is famous for its deep red wines. This area was originally established in 1989 by a mix of winemakers including Alvaro Palacios , René Barbier, and Daphne Glorian. Now there are over 4,000 acres of vineyards. What makes this region ideal is the hilly terrain, which provides the necessary sunlight exposure for grapes. The largest city closest to this region is Tarragona, which is a bit over an hour from Barcelona.

Related Article: Tarragona, a city with a Roman history

One region that’s also becoming increasingly popular is Penedès home to the Cava wine. Cava was first produced in the 19^th century. Yet the popularity of Cava grew in 1863 as the phylloxera insect plagued French wines. Shortly after King Alfonso XIII visited the Penedès region and praised the quality of the wines the industry in this region took off. In fact today this region has the highest production of wine in Catalonia. This region is the closest to Barcelona.

Related Article: Cava, Catalonia’s sparkling wine

If you wish to learn more about Catalan wines, these two resources will help you in picking the best wine and which wine tour to go on.

Trending Wine Drinks

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For those who want some other options that are trending in Barcelona you can try Tinto de verano (summer red wine) or vermouth! Tinto de verano is typical for locals and is red wine with lemon soda. In the summertime it can be extremely refreshing, thus its name. Vermouth has an interesting story as it’s a wine with herbs, which originated in Italy. It’s typically meant to cleanse the palate before a meal. For some unexplained reason it has again become fashionable in Barcelona to drink vermouth on Sunday before lunch.

If you have any other Catalonia wine tips or experiences, feel free to add them in the comments below.