Catalonia’s wine production is remarkable, with more than 600 bottling cellars and an area of 42,822 hectares.
With a winemaking tradition spanning over two thousand years and a mild climate, it is the ideal place for producing high-quality wines.
Designations of origin play an important role in the development of trade, especially with foreign countries. Currently, eleven are recognised: Alella, Catalunya, Conca de Barberà, Costers del Segre, Empordà, Montsant, Penedès, Pla de Bages, Priorat, Tarragona, Terra Alta, and Cava.
Costers del Segre is one of the most interesting areas, but it is not well known among the average wine lover. The seven territories located along the River Segre make up the DO of the province of Lleida.
Lérida is the only completely inland province in Catalonia. While this has hindered commercial exchanges for many centuries, it has also guaranteed a unique production process, resulting in wines with distinctive aromas due to significant temperature variations between day and night, as well as the calcareous soil covered in sand.
©Mas Blanch I Jové
It was not just the native varieties that were introduced to Costers del Segre; it was also the first area in Catalonia to introduce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay after phylloxera destroyed the local crops in the late 19th century.
The white varieties that stand out are: Albariño, Macabeo, Xarel lo, Parellada, Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The red varieties include: Garnacha Negra, Ull de Llebre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Monastrell, Trepat, Samsó, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
The Costers del Segre area produces red, white, rosé and sparkling wines. The third largest Catalan DO in terms of the number of bottles produced, Costers del Segre exploits the advantages of offshore winemaking in times of climate change and invests in sustainability. It is the only DO with a sustainability plan, which was started in 2012.
One of the best-known wineries in the area is Mas I Blanch, located in the Las Garrigues sub-area on the western border of Priorat. It is situated in a mountainous area more than 700 metres above sea level.
It produces 65,000 bottles of unique organic wine, born from the particularity of the soil, low rainfall, generous hours of sunshine, and the typical day/night temperature range.
Sara Jové talks about the uniqueness of her cellar and how its wines fully reflect the territory: “Mas Blanch i Jové is a small winery with a very special microclimate. The vineyards are between 700 and 850 metres high, which is why mountain or heroic viticulture is practised. There is little rainfall and the soil is organically poor, with a lot of stony conglomerate (limestone and clay). The area is very picturesque with a Mediterranean landscape and oak and pine trees, as well as different types of aromatic herbs, almond and olive trees. We work to preserve the environment: we don’t use herbicides or pesticides; we restore stone walls to prevent water runoff and soil erosion; and we install water points in the summer for the local fauna, among other things.”
©Mas Blanch I Jové
The company is also known for the “Viña de los Artistas”: “a unique space – says Sara – where sculptures and artistic installations coexist among vineyards and olive groves.”
