NATURAL WINE GUIDE · THE VINEYARD
The grapes of Penedès
By Lambert Perera, winegrower at Sans Domaine ·
Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada: the historic Penedès trio. Alongside them, old varieties that had almost vanished and that I don’t want to lose: Sumoll, Moneu, Garró and Selma. These are the grapes I grow, pick and drink.
Xarel·lo
Penedès’ signature grape. It gives wines with structure and acidity that last for years. At Can Branques and Ca la Jane I have vines from 1969 that make Jane, and at Vinya de Dalt it is 70% of the wine named after the vineyard.
Macabeu
Fresh, floral and delicate. At Vinya del Toni, planted in 1988, I make it with its skins: Orange25 by carbonic maceration and MacaVeu, an orange pét-nat.
Parellada
The finest of the trio: light, floral, low-alcohol wines, perfect for bubbles. Mine, from 1987 vines at Vinya de Cabra, makes Voyage Voyage.
The old varieties
Sumoll and Moneu are old local red grapes that had almost stopped being planted; together they make the base wine for SUMO, my black vermouth. Moneu, a recovered ancestral variety, was already in Delerós. Garró, another old red grape, grows at Can Branques and goes into SOCA. And Selma grows at Vinya de Dalt, mixed in with the rest.
And Merlot?
SOCA includes Merlot, a French grape that has been planted in Penedès for decades. Blended with Xarel·lo, Moneu and Garró, it gives this sparkling rosé its colour and fruit.