Penedes

Penedes is one of the best known Catalonian appellations. It is distinguished by mild slopes located no more than one hour's drive from Barcelona and is one of the most exciting winemaking regions in Spain. It is considered to be the native land of Cava and the largest Catalonian appellation for non-sparkling table wines. Wine production in this region, as in other parts of Spain, reaches back thousands of years.

Along with other winemaking regions, Penedes was deeply affected by phylloxera plague; this was the main reason for shifting from growing red wine production grapes to white wine varieties, which in 1872 brought about the birth of Cava. Although varieties of red wine from this area have since picked up some ground, red wine only plays a small part of the overall wine produced from the Penedes region.

The main white varieties grown in Penedes are: Macabeo and Xarel.lo, Parellada plus a fair amount of Chardonnay, as well as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
In 1960 it was decided that Penedes would produce red wines for entire Barcelona, which intensified the growing of red grapes. One of the most important red grape varieties is Garnacha which is frequently mixed with Tempranillo (local name for Ull de Llebre). It is also becoming increasingly common to find production from Bordeaux varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; Syrah is also growing in popularity. Numerous wine lovers have already fallen for the wonderful beverages from Penedes.
It is possible to distinguish three zones in the appellation: Penedes Superior where the best white wines are produced, Penedes Central where mainly Cavy is produced (however it is worth remembering that Cava is produced throughout the entire Penedes), and Baixo Penedes. Penedes is a region with an enormous potential for producing various wines within one appellation.

In Penedes, apart from the vineyards, it is also possible to see fantastic examples of modernist architecture for which this region is known. Penedes is famous for the works of such geniuses as Gaudi, Cadafalch, Domenech and Montaner.

GRIMAU DE PUJADES S.A.

The Pujades Castle, where the vineyard is located, is one of the oldest and most renowned agricultural holdings in the region.
In the 10th Century, Pujades Castle was merely an agricultural holding. A little later on, the Moors settled the Iberian Peninsula and build a castle on that spot; in the 15th century following the Reconquista, a Christian chapel was built there. In 1864 the chapel was demolished and a fortified 'masia' was constructed in the beautiful Catalonian style.

Nowadays, the only remainder of the old castle are round bastilles with towers built of characteristic, irregular stones, a part of the outer walls and a single dungeon frame.

For many centuries, the owners of the vineyard, the Grimau family, have been successfully producing excellent wines and sparkling wines on the land covering 22 hectares. They run the vineyard and its production plants.
Today's wine production is true craft work which ensures the highest quality of the production process of Grimau wines.

This family's wines can be found principally on the grounds of Spain, but they have started to import their wines into South America and Japan, and recently also to Poland.