Spain — wine

Penedès

Catalonia's largest and most diverse wine appellation, centred on the hills west of Barcelona between the coast and the Pyrenees. Penedès encompasses everything from sea-level vineyards producing fresh white Xarel-lo for Cava to high-altitude Parellada sites at 800m. It is also the home region of Cava — Spain's traditional method sparkling wine — but increasingly celebrated for dry white blends of Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Malvasia, and reds from Garnacha, Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), and international varieties. The region has produced influential producers like Torres and Gramona.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Good Catalan vintage; diverse expressions across altitudes — coastal whites fresh and aromatic, mountain reds showing good structure
2022 Outstanding year; exceptional concentration across all styles with high-altitude whites showing remarkable mineral precision
2021 Cool vintage producing fresh, mineral whites and elegant reds. Xarel-lo of exceptional purity.
2020 Warm year with good acidity from altitude vineyards. Reds of good concentration.
2019 Outstanding vintage across all categories. High-altitude Parellada whites of great character.
2018 Reliable vintage with good fruit character. Cava base wines of excellent quality.
2017 Good vintage across the appellation. White wine varieties performed particularly well.