Alella, a small wine district in the north eastern part of Spain centers around the village of the same name just a few miles from the eastern edge of Barcelona. Alella, one of the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula, dates back to the period of the ancient Romans and occupies an area of about 230 hectares in the Maresme and Valles Oriental counties. Alella’s climate is broadly Mediterranean with noticeable variations between vineyard sites due to the orography of the terrain. The economy in the region has been traditionally based on agriculture and shipping, of particular note, viticulture and floriculture account for more than half the production within these sectors.
Winemaking emerged in the Allela area with the Romans in the 1st century AD and was sufficiently acknowledged by AD 77. However, the Romans brought more than just wine to the area, establishing roads to connect their various provinces. During the middle ages the wines of Allela’s region were favored at the Barcelona Cathedral and later became one of the highest quality wines exported to overseas colonies.
The majority of wines emerging from this region are crisp, dry, floral scented whites made from the local grape varieties including Xarel-lo, referred to as Pansa Blanca locally, Garnacha Blanca, Viura, and French varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Red and rose wines throughout the region are primarily produced with Garnacha Negra as well as Monastrell, Syrah, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. Vines in this region are planted at altitudes anywhere from 195ft (60m) to 800ft (250m) above sea level with older vines growing freely while newer vineyards have been planted on trellises. Alella wines, more than any other, are ingrained in the tradition of the Barcelona table, mainly the reborn and restless Barcelona, that have laid the foundation of today’s great region.
##
The campaign “Taste the Difference: Quality Wines from the Heart of Europe” makes you discover Custoza, an Italian Controlled Designation of Origin. This program, managed by the Unione Italiana Vini, the Association of the Italian wine market, and Prodeca, the organism that supports the agri-food sector from the region of Catalunya abroad, aims to promote European PDO and PGI wines in China and US.
This premier appellation from the Italian Veneto region offers quality wines produced from world-renowned native grape varieties such as Garganega, Trebbianello, and Malvasia.
As wine consumption in the US trends toward high acid, lower alcohol wines that offer refreshment and the versatility to accompany various cuisines, Custoza DOC is uniquely positioned for success in the US market. The wines of Custoza DOC are ideal for wine consumers who love time-tested classics, and for those who seek to discover wines of unique character.
The winemakers of Custoza DOC are dedicated to producing wines of remarkable quality for tables around the world. Veneto is a region with a centuries-long history of winemaking – a tradition that’s deeply ingrained within its culture and society. Custoza DOC is a shining example of wines from the Veneto, and an emblem of outstanding Italian viticulture. The Consortium of Custoza DOC is a member of Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), the oldest commercial association representing the Italian wine market.
##
Cava: The 2021 vintage will be remembered as the first in which wineries can mention on the labels where it is that the grapes are grown, since new zones and sub-zones approved by the Designation of Origin Regulatory Council came into force. These new regulations mark out three defined production areas: Comtats de Barcelona, Valle del Ebro and Viñedos de Almendralejo, along with seven sub-zones: Valls d’Anoia-Foix, Conca del Gaià, Serra de Mar, Serra de Prades, Pla de Ponent, Alto Ebro and Valle del Cierzo. To guarantee traceability, a new software platform has been set up for this campaign, as part of the digital transformation currently taking place within this Protected Designation of Origin.
The terroir-driven attempt aims to shape the perception of Cava as a wine with a multitude of territorial interpretations: a complex sparkling wine that deserves a year-long attention. This happens in a moment when the US market has become more receptive to the category of sparklings as wines suitable for everyday consumption, and not only reserved for special occasions or holidays celebrations.
A series of events run in the US these past months, including Taste The Difference Grand Tasting taking place on December 9th in New York City, have helped convey this message to trade, press and consumers. Additional tastings have focused on the new regulation to convey both grape sourcing information and minimum ageing time. The new rules establish a distinction between Cava de Guarda, which indicates wines aged for minimum 9 months on the lees, and Cava de Guarda Superior, applicable only to wines aged on the lees for at least 18 months and including under its umbrella the Reserva, Gran Reserva and Cava de Paraje Calificado. The ageing time for the Cava Reserva has also been extended from 15 to 18 months whereas the 30 months ageing requirements for Gran Reserva (30 month)and the 36 months Cava de Paraje Calificado remain unchanged.
The program: European quality wines: taste the difference is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and PRODECA for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad in China and US. In order to achieve this objective, the TTD.EU program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Spain and Italy, inviting wine professionals to join study trips to Europe. The program, realized in the span of three years (2021-2023) aims at creating awareness about European quality wines, in particular Italian and Spanish, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality.
The beneficiaries: Unione Italiana Vini is the oldest and most commissioned Association of the Italian wine market. It represents cooperative, private and agricultural wine-companies, bottlers, consortia, associations and wine-making machines or wine cellars / laboratory manufacturers, located throughout the Italian territory. Promotora de Exportaciones Catalanas (PRODECA) is a public company established in 1986 and part of the “Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia”. It supports the agri-food sector and its companies with the knowledge, tools and experience to increase their products in Catalunya and worldwide.
About TASTE THE DIFFERENCE PROGRAM
The program: European quality wines: taste the difference is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and PRODECA for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad in China and US. In order to achieve this objective, the TTD.EU program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Spain and Italy, inviting wine professionals to join study trips to Europe. The program, realized in the span of three years (2021-2023) aims at creating awareness about European quality wines, in particular Italian and Spanish, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality.
The beneficiaries: Unione Italiana Vini is the oldest and most commissioned Association of the Italian wine market. It represents cooperative, private and agricultural wine-companies, bottlers, consortia, associations and wine-making machines or wine cellars / laboratory manufacturers, located throughout the Italian territory. Promotora de Exportaciones Catalanas (PRODECA) is a public company established in 1986 and part of the “Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia”. It supports the agri-food sector and its companies with the knowledge, tools and experience to increase their products in Catalunya and worldwide.
Despite a longer than usual harvest due climatic factors, Cava collected 300 million kilos of grapes. According to the Regulatory Board’s Technical Services: “The grapes are in good health, with a suitable acidity and alcohol content for the production of excellent Cavas.” The 2021 vintage will be the first vintage in which wineries will distinguish their wines by the grapes’ sourcing territory, since the new zones and sub-zones approved by the Designation of Origin Regulatory Council came into force. Organic production continues to grow too, in anticipation of further quality oriented changes in PDO regulations whereby Cava de Guarda Superior wines must be made from 100% organically grown grapes by 2025. Organic Cava production has increased by more than 245% in the last 5 years, from 4 million bottles in 2016 to 13.8 million in 2020, and last year organic Cava accounted for 6.4% of the total appellation volume – in number of bottles.
In recent years, this background has proven to be a winning combination. Old vineyards, native varieties such as Garnacha Blanca and Morenillo, and small family businesses – along with some coops that have played an important social role during the most difficult years – have secured attention from wine lovers looking for quality, stories and sustainability. Sustainable practices in the vineyards are possible thanks to the hilly terrain and El Cierzo, a local dry wind originating in the Ebro River valley that moderates temperatures during the growing season and prevents mildew disease on the vines. Finally, limestone soils help retain the acidity in white wines and provide red wines with a delicate profile.
Located north-west of lively Barcelona, Pla de Bages stretches on 1230 acres across two fluvial valleys shaped by the Llobregat and the Cardener rivers. The region has been associated with wine production from the very beginning inasmuch as to be named after Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. Pla de Bages means Plain of Bacchus and conjures up the image of a land dotted with vineyards. Wine production already flourished under Roman domination, as witnessed by the architecture of rural villas and pottery remains from the 2nd-century, one vase bearing the noun vinum, wine in Latin. In the following centuries the popularity of the region would only grow, reaching its peak in the 19th century.
Medals were awarded to those wines that meet very specific judging criteria, with a goal of identifying wines that should become additions to restaurant wine lists. Wines will be judged by Food Parability, Typicity, Value, Quality, and Package.
The Spanish Wine Scholar™ joins its acclaimed sister programs, French Wine Scholar™ and Italian Wine Scholar™, in providing an advanced and comprehensive specialization study and certification program. Spain is home to one of the oldest wines styles in the world, sherry. It is also the birthplace of many of the world’s finest red grapes, including Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), and Monastrell (Mourvèdre). Despite this rich history, Spain remains relatively unfamiliar to many students of wine. The Spanish Wine Scholar™ will give students an appreciation for how tradition and modernity perfectly coexist and why Spain is one of the most exciting and enviable countries on the world wine stage.
Then, in early 2017 by my recollection, the manager of the short-lived and greatly missed Maré Restaurant in Silver Lake tasted us on a Rosé made by a local winemaker who was focusing on Los Angeles County grapes. But I didn’t make the connection, until…