catalan wines

The county in central Catalonia is bringing in its grapes with production expected to rise by 40% to 1.4m kilos

Cava is a Catalan sparkling wine produced using the ‘Méthode Champenoise’. According to statistics from the Cava Regulatory Board, some 242.29 million bottles of Cava were sold in 2014, which represents a 0.38% increase on 2013 figures. Sales on the domestic market increased for the first time after two years of decline, reaching 87.58 million bottles, a 7.54% increase over 2013, with 6.14 million more bottles sold. Sales in bars and restaurants are one of the main reasons for the domestic increase since these grew by 9.3% over 2013. These results compensated for the drop in 2014 sales to the EU market, which accounted for 111.62 million bottles, 5.3% less than in 2013 and a decline in absolute terms of 6.22 million bottles. This was mainly due to a contraction in demand from the German market.

Abadal wine cellar, in Pla de Bages appelation in central Catalonia, is the first in Europe to begin fermenting their grapes in big vats of dry Stone located outdoors, in the midst of the vineyards. The method is at once innovative and traditional, as it is the revival of an old tradition common in Europe during the 19^th century. This Monday, experts in the making of wine tasted the results of the first vintage, of which there are 600 bottles that will not be sold. Many described the wine as "exceptional". According to Abadal winemaker Miguel Palau, the method is highly unconventionalbecause it allows the uncommon option of blending grapes, here all 10 varieties, together and fermenting them outdoors. The result is apparently sharp and fresh, with balsamic notes due to its unusual fermentation.

Producers of sparkling wine from Catalonia's Penedès region have chosen the brand name 'Clàssic Penedès' to identify their product. This variety is not Cava but rather a sparkling wine produced under stricter regulations to ensure the product is of a higher quality. Wine under the Clàssic Penedès name can only use grapes which are 100% organic and which come from the Penedès wine appellation. Josep Maria Albert, the President of the Penedès appellation, announced that this year the grapes in this region are maturing particularly early and, as of this week, some vineyards are already manufacturing the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varieties of wine. The winemaker stated that this season, due to weather conditions, "there will be between a 10% to 15% drop in the quantity of wine from last year, but, despite this decrease in production, the wine will be better quality".

More than 300 innovations from the agri-food industry are presented between the 31^st of March and the 3^rd of April in Alimentaria, one of the main trade fairs for this sector in Europe. The 20^th edition of this event, which takes place in the Catalan capital every two years, focuses on innovation and internationalisation. In fact, 40,000 visitors, 30% of the total 140,000 visitors, are foreigners. In addition, as explained by the Director General of Alimentaria, Antoni Valls, this year the organisers have managed to assemble 600 of the world's main international buyers, which is double the number at the previous fair in 2012. These top buyers have already arrived for 8,000 pre-scheduled business meetings with the 3,800 exhibiting companies at the fair, which occupies 94,500 square metres of Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue.

International sales of Catalonia's sparkling wine Cava have amounted to 241.3 million bottles in 2013, 0.77% less than the previous year. The President of the Cava Regulatory Council, Pere Bonet presented such figures in a press conference on Tuesday. Bonet linked this decrease with the current economic context and recalled that other regions producing sparkling wine had registered sharper declines, for instance Champagne with a 2% drop. The Spanish market, accounting for one third of Cava sales, has performed better than in previous years and only fell by 0.47%. On the other hand, sales in the foreign market, which had increased every year since 1980, registered a 0.92% decrease in 2013.

The 2014 Catalonia Wine Guide has given top marks to the 'Teixar' 2010 (Domènech vineyard-D.O Montsant, Southern Catalonia) and to the cava Brut Gran Reserva 2000 (Enoteca Gramona La Plana, Greater Barcelona), with a 9.77 out of 10 for each of them . These two wines are the very best in Catalonia, according to this year’s guide, which was released along with a new application for smart phones, ‘Guide App'. The guide now offers a variety of information and different concepts accessible via augmented reality technology. With these innovative changes, the guide is looking to introduce Catalan wines to a wider audience, by appealing to young people.

The President of the Regulatory Council of Priorat wine appellation, located in south-western Catalonia, is anticipating an excellent grape harvest this summer as there have been no major setbacks that have affected the evolution of the vineyards. The hot and dry weather during August has led to a process of maturation that is very favourable in terms of colour and there is a good balance between alcohol and acidity. The President of the Regulatory Council of the word-famous wine region, Toni Alcover, expects there to be a high quality harvest with a quantity in excess of 5.5 million kilograms of grapes.

The Empordà wine Appellation located in north-eastern Catalonia has seen a significant increase in its export levels in 2012. With more than 40 small cellars and cooperatives, Empordà has a large assortment of red, white and rosé wines. Garnatxa of Empordà, a sweet dessert wine is also a typical drink from this area of Catalonia located in the Costa Brava. The main destinations of Empordà exports were the United States, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Canada. These exports increased by 13% over last year with more than 750,000 bottles sold abroad from the total 5 million bottles produced.

The ‘Pau Casals VIP lounge’ at Barcelona's Airport Terminal 1 offers the opportunity to taste between three or six Priorat (Tarragona) DO wines. Every Thursday afternoon in May, June and July, VIP travellers who leave or stop over in Barcelona are able to do this tasting for free. In 30 minute sessions, they can taste three different kinds of wine from the wineries ‘Clos Mogador’, ‘Capafons-Ossó’, ‘Mas d’en Gil’, ‘Scala Dei’, ‘Mas Doix’ and ‘Trossos del Priorat’.

The exports of this sparkling wine very similar to Champagne reached 161 million bottles sold, representing an historical record. 41 million bottles went to non-European markets, such as China and Brazil. In Japan, the consumption of cava increased by 32%; in China, by 21%; and in the UK, by 12%. However, there is a continued loss in the Spanish market, with a drop in sales of 6.28% because of the crisis and the boycott of Catalan products. The 2012 bad domestic results followed a 8.7% drop in Spain in 2011. According to the Chairman of the Cava Regulatory Board, the global 2012 figures represent an excellent result considering the economic crisis and constitute results, he added, that unfortunately “many sectors would like to have.”

Located in the centre of Catalonia, the area of Penedès is known for its high quality wine and cava. Due to the long tradition in this region of the production of these drinks and the growing presence of wine tourism, it was decided to strengthen the offers of this sector. On this occasion, after two and a half years of building work, the old Vinseum - Wine Culture Museum of Catalonia - has been reopened with new exhibits in a new location: the Royal Palace of Vilafranca del Penedès. However, this is not just a museum of the production of wine; it is based on wine as a cultural, social, historical and scientific phenomenon.

150 million bottles of Catalan Cava were exported last year. It is a historic record for Cava producers with Germany and the United Kingdom being the main importers. The Catalan sparkling wine has the perception of being inexpensive in these countries, which has worked to the Cava producers’ advantage at a time of economic crisis as demand for alternatives increases. Wine connoisseurs put high quality Cava on the same level as Champagne, yet many consumers still associate the Catalan drink with a cheap product. High quality Cava is starting to be discovered and has strong potential to grow in these markets.