D.O. Catalunya

Wine tourism in D.O. Catalunya

The Catalunya Designation of Origin, approved in 1999, was created to gather the tradition of making wine so present in Catalan territory for more than 2,000 years. Its aim is to provide coverage for different wineries in some 200 Catalan municipalities that produce quality wines, but without a specific Designation of Origin.

A unique area for unique wines

Many of the vineyards of the Catalunya Designation of Origin are located around monasteries of the Middle Ages, such as those of Montserrat, Santes Creus, Poblet or Sant Pere de Rodes. This is because, in many cases, the monks were the ones who held the royal permits to produce wine.

The Catalunya Designation of Origin extends across the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees. It lies between 40.3º and 42.5º North Latitude and between 1º and 3.2º East Longitude of the Greenwich Meridian.

It encompasses 42,985 ha of wine-growing area spread across 426 municipal districts of Catalunya, in which the vineyard has traditionally been cultivated, becoming a characteristic and inherent element of its landscapes and its culture.

The land and the climate

The wine-growing tradition in Catalunya is older than its own history, and wine is an indispensable element of Catalan and Mediterranean culture. Phoenicians and Romans introduced the cultivation of the vine and, since then, wine has been part of our daily life, our diet, our culture and our moments of celebration.

Catalunya has exceptional natural conditions: a great diversity of soils, microclimates and orographic conditions, and a geographical location that has made it possible to achieve the variety, quality and continuity of its oenological potential.

Areas

Under this designation there are some 4,000 hectares of vines scattered throughout the territory.

Microclimates

In general, a Mediterranean climate dominates, with many hours of sun and not very hot.

All the wines of the DO Catalunya can either seek the maximum expression of the raw material – the grape, through fermentation of musts in stainless steel tanks and under strict temperature control – or present the characteristic bouquet of contact with oak wood which, in turn, enriches them with greater complexity.

Among the diversity of wines we find:

1. White, rosé and red wines.2. Crianzas, reservas and gran reservas, with a minimum stay in barrel, in the case of the reds, of 6, 12 or 24 months, and a total ageing period of 2, 3 or 5 years respectively.3. Pétillant wines and liqueur wines.

We will find unusual blends in accordance with the multiple options offered by the wide range of authorised grape varieties. The varieties traditionally cultivated in Catalunya are frequently combined with the foreign varieties recently introduced

Grape varieties

36 authorised grape varieties, native and international

WHITE GRAPE

Experiences to enjoy in D.O. Catalunya

Discover this wine-growing region spread across 426 municipal districts of Catalunya.