A trip to Barcelona is not complete without a visit to some of the greatest vineyards of the Penedes region. Located about 50 km to the southwest of the city, in the heart of the Penedès region is the town of Sant Sarduni D’Anoia, also known as the Cava Central which is home to more than 80 Cava producers.
As the summers in Spain are quite hot and humid, the best time to visit the vineyards is during spring and fall especially during October and November. There are also a few places in Sant Sarduni D’Anoia that offer lovely Cava tours where you can learn all about the wine and the history of the different bodegas.
Visit The Cavatast Festival
The Cava Week Festival called Cavatast happens annually in mid-October. For three days, you’ll get to experience a mix of fine food, and Catalan culture, seeing how small-scale wine production can come to be synonymous with a landscape and people.
As well as witness the “Cava Queen” be crowned and take the first sips of the year’s harvest. There are also concerts, classes, and of course, taste plenty of Cava! If you are interested in visiting the festival, you can check out their website here.
Codorniu – The Home of Cava
If you want to experience where and how Cava came into being, there’s no better place than the Codorniu. Established in 1551, it is the oldest winery and vineyard in all of Spain! It is considered as a national historic monument for cultural interests.
It was the first place to produce Cava in 1872 when Josep Raventos brought the methode champenoise to Spain. In 1984, the Codorníu winery introduced Chardonnay grapes to cava making. The result is the world-famous Anna de Codorníu Brut Nature, named after the head of the wine estate in the 17th century. This is the best-selling Cava in Spain, with delicate notes of citrus and pineapple. The first Cava creators are also credited with the most expensive Cava in the world. Their 457 Gran Reserva 2008 costs around $200 per bottle.
The Codorniu Discovery Tour is an incredible experience that includes a guided tour where you learn about the production of Cava and visit the cellars. This is followed by a tasting in their Cava bar. They also offer longer visits that include food pairings, chocolate tasting, and a Cava tasting course.
Codorniu has has grown larger and larger with each generation and today it is one of the largest producers of high-quality Cava wines offering a wide variety across different styles and vintages of the wine. The vineyard has been actively trying for the past decade to turn its entire production completely organic and is hoping to be certified in 2024. If you want to learn more about Codorniu, you can visit there website here.
Freixenet – The Largest Producer of Cava
The Freixenet vineyards are concentrated in the heart of the Penedès region, a privileged area influenced by the Mediterranean climate and with three different vine-growing estates on the coast, plain and mountain. Having a separate estate for each of the grape varieties Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada, they have truly perfected the art of making Cava.
Freixenet was founded in 1914 when two Spanish winemaking families joined hands in marriage. Pedro Ferrer and Dolores Sala Vive, on the first night of their marriage, decided to turn the family business from still to sparkling wine production and the rest is history.
The winery has expanded exponentially over the past century and Freixenet is now one of the largest sparkling wine producers in the world, selling more than 100 million bottles in 2021. And they make 80% of Spain’s exported Cava. It is famous for its sleek and innovative design of frosted or iced bottles.
Over the years, they have combined tradition and innovation, along with the application of cutting-edge technology. Their main large-scale wine production facility is completely automated with modern equipment making it the first automated winery in the world. Although, they still need winegrowers for cultivating the grapes and winemakers to bring out their new blends into the market.
Freixenet has garnered a lot of achievements over the past few decades. They were the sponsor of the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. The classic frosted Freixenet Black Cord became the first ever sparkling wine to be in space in 1997 when astronaut Helena Kondakova was the first to toast in the space station. If you want to learn more about Freixenet, you can visit there website here.
Recaredo – The First Biodynamic Winery
Recaredo was founded in 1924 by Josep Mata Capellades naming the winery after his father. He was a traditional wine disgorger by profession and was set to create a distinctive style of sparkling wine based upon protecting the traditional art and craftsmanship of manual disgorgement. For their efforts, Recaredo were named Catalonia’s Best Winery in 2017 by the Catalan Association of Sommeliers.
The distinct style of Recaredo emphasizes long-aged wine that is aged for at least 30 months with the use of only natural cork stoppers which require skill and precision for disgorgement. Disgorgement is the final step before bottles are corked. Without exception, every bottle of sparkling wine produced by Recaredo is disgorged by hand at the natural temperature of the cellars without any freezing or chilling processes.
Recaredo was certified as completely Biodynamic in 2010. Biodynamic agriculture is an advanced form of organic farming which focuses on preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity of the land. It involves planting medicinal plants among the vines to prevent mould and keep insects away as well as letting cover crops grow freely among the vines loosening the soil and preventing erosion. There are also certain legumes such as chickpeas grown to provide atmospheric nitrogen and nutrients to the vines. Biodynamic viticulture uses natural elements in the farm to protect and nurture growth.
Recaredo will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year in 2024. Let us celebrate together with a toast to the fruit of their labours, Cava. If you want to learn more about Recaredo, you can visit there website here.
