Have you ever been to Barcelona? If so, you’ve been just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Penedès winemaking region in Catalunya. Though it is best known as the home of cava (i.e. Spain’s version of Champagne), there is a huge range of amazing wines coming out of this region. Today we’ll be exploring its innovative winemaking, and tasting Familia Torres’ Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.
Penedès
This denominaciòn de origen (aka DO) is located in northeastern Spain, in the valley between the Mediterranean coast and the inland mountains that run between Barcelona and Tarragona.
Penedès is a subregion of Catalunya, an area that is often compared to Quebec here in Canada or Flanders in Belgium due to its strong separatist sentiment. The area has rarely seen eye to eye with Spain, and has fiercely upheld its Catalan traditions and language. That said, in terms of wine, it was one of the first wine regions in the country to introduce modern winemaking techniques.
Clàssic Penedès
Penedès is also known for being home to cava, Champagne’s Spanish equivalent since it also uses the traditional method, though generally with indigenous Spanish grape varieties (xarel-lo, macabeo, and parellada). Famous Penedès cava producers include Freixenet and Cordoniu.
Wanting to stand out from the generic DO Cava, the area’s winegrowers created Clàssic Penedès, a regional brand of sparkling wines that are 100% organic and aged for a minimum of 15 months.
Grape varieties of Penedès – old meets new
The region is much more than just sparkling wine. It boasts a warm, Mediterranean climate and a variety of microclimates and terroirs, each suited to growing different grapes which go into a wide range of unique wines. Many Indigenous varieties are grown here. We’ve already mentioned some indigenous white grapes above, and these are generally blended into fresh, easy-drinking white wines.
In terms of red Indigenous grapes, we have sumoll, trepat and ull de llebre (i.e. the Catalan name for tempranillo). Some of these Indigenous grapes have been used for centuries. Others, however, have recently been re-introduced and are making a comeback as Catalonian grape growers return to their roots.
Producers also grow Mediterranean grapes such as samsó (aka cariñena or carignan), garnatxa (aka garnacha or grenache), monstrell (aka mourvèdre) and syrah, as well as typically French varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir.
Innovative winemaking
Interestingly, Penedès was the first wine region in Spain to use stainless steel tanks and cold fermentation equipment. It has always adopted innovative winemaking techniques and integrated them into the traditional ways.
Similarly, its wines are not limited to “old-world” styles, and winemakers strive to appeal to a broad range of tastes.
Torres Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
Torres is one of Spain’s largest and most widely recognized wineries and is a big dog in the Penedès region. Founded in 1870, it remains a family business, and has grown exponentially over the years— it now owns vines all across Spain (including 6 vineyards in Catalunya alone) totalling 2,000 hectares. It has also expanded internationally with vineyards in Chile and California. The Torres brand is built on the pillars of wine export and environmentalism. Thanks to this commitment to the environment, they are establishing the International Wineries for Climate Action group in an effort to reduce carbon emissions in winemaking by 80%!
Tasting note
The Gran Coronas Reserva is one of those wines that strikes a perfect balance between old-world depth and new-world flavour.
🍇 Cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo (a typical blend for the Penedès region)
👁️ Opaque ruby red
👃 Gorgeous black fruit aromas (smoky black cherry, fig, blackberry, plum), red currant, cedar, tobacco (from 12 months of barrel aging)
👄This one does need a bit of time to open up (try decanting it an hour or two ahead of time), but when it does, boy oh boy is it tasty. The fruit flavours from the aromas are more subdued on the palate, and nicely balanced out by a certain woodsiness ( like walking through a forest after the rain), pepperiness, and cedar notes. It is bone dry (less than 1 g/L of residual sugar), yet the fruit flavours do give it a perceived sweetness.
🍽️ The Torres Gran Coronas Reserva has lots of juicy acidity and ripe, medium tannins. Not only do these two components offer excellent aging potential (8-10 years), they make it a perfect food wine. As a full-bodied grape variety, cabernet sauvignon generally needs grilled or stewed red meats to match its flavour and texture. However, the tempranillo really smooths out the cab sauv’s intensity. I paired this wine with cheese and charcuterie at the last virtual wine tasting I hosted, and it went with everything on that board: genoa salami, olives, brie, and OMG was it good with double-smoked cheddar 🤯
Where to buy
As mentioned, Torres wines are widely exported around the world, so they are generally easy to find.
In Ontario, this Gran Coronas Reserva is a Vintages Essential at the LCBO ($19.95).
In Quebec, it is available at the SAQ for $19.95 (and currently $1 off!).
Everywhere else, I doubt you’ll have to look too hard to find a Torres wine.
Have you tried a wine from Catalunya or Penedès, and if so, what did you think of it?
Happy wining!
Still curious about Catalan wines? You should definitely read Susannah’s super in-depth preview post.
Don’t forget to check out the amazing articles by my fellow bloggers and join us under the #WorldWineTravel hashtag on Twitter, Saturday, February 27 at 11:00a.m. EST to chat about this fabulous region and its wines.
- Allison and Chris from Advinetures look at Cava: Spain’s Answer to Champagne.
- Andrea from The Quirky Cork enjoys Tapas with Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava.
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Pollo a la Catalana + Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2019.
- David from Cooking Chat shines with Mushroom Fricassee and Red Wine from Priorat.
- Gwendolyn from Wine Predator brings Sparkling Wine Secrets: Catalonia Cava from Marqués de Cáceres with Spanish Chorizo Kale Bean Stew.
- Jeff from Food Wine Click looks at Exploring the Variety of Still Wines from Catalunya.
- Linda from My Full Wine Glass showcases Pere Mata Cupada Rosé Cava: Finesse in a Glass.
- Lynn from Savor the Harvest posts Beyond Cava: Loxarel and Gramona Organic Sparkling Wines.
- Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog waxes poetic about A Taste of Can Descregut; Grower Spanish Sparkling Wine From The Corazón del Penedès.
- Nicole from Somm’s Table pens On a Hilltop in Priorat.
- Payal from Keep The Peas joins with Bartender’s Choice from Priorat.
- Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles focused on Priorat DOQ in Spain’s Cataluña Region and Franck Massard’s 2015 Humilitat.
- Steve from Children of the Grape describes Cava by the Sea.
- Susannah from Avvinare thinks about Two Key Areas in Catalonia Wine Scene: Cava and Priorat.
- Terri from Our Good Life dished about Chicken Empanadas and Azimut Cava.
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on The Farm adds Enjoying Tapas with Spanish Wines from Catalonia.