Top Wine Producers In Catalonia's Hidden Gem, Conca De Barberà

Forbes

2 days ago

Imma Soler of Mas de la Pansa, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography
We're used to hearing wine regions called Valley Something and the rather odd-sounding Conca de Barberà is just that. It is the Barberà Valley, but in Catalan. It is also a designation of origin (DO), the Spanish version of appellation, located a bit over an hour's drive west of Barcelona. It is mainly know for its unusual grape trepat that almost only exists here producing fairly light red wines. But that's not their only grape. They also grow the traditional cava (Spanish sparkling wine) grapes like parellada and many others. The DO is only a few thousand hectares with less than thirty private cellars and a handful of cooperatives. In this article plus our previous one — Conca De Barberà, Catalonia's Hidden Wine Treasures — we give you the most notable names.
Producers this article: Vins de Pedre/Marta Pedra
Castell d'Or
Celler Rendé Masdéu
Mas de la Pansa
Familia Torres
Cellers Domenys
In the previous article: Celler Carles Andreu
Mas Josep Foraster
Vidbertus
You can also read my introduction to the region of Conca de Barberà: Trepat In Conca De Barbera, A Catalan Grape Variety In Tune With The Times.
Marta Pedra's wine roots go back to her great-grandfather, an entrepreneur who made wine, started a distillery and was very successful in the export market. 'He managed the phylloxera crisis thanks to his trade with Argentina. He started importing wines from Argentina instead', says Marta.
Marta's parents revived the winery in the 1980s, around the time Marta was born. And apparently, they inspired their daughter because Marta studied agriculture, and in 2002, she met Josep Serra, her partner, and they started their first wine project together, La Vinyeta.
But Marta also wanted to do something with her family heritage. She started her own project in 2010, which she calls Vins de Pedra, making wines from her family's vineyards in Conca de Barberà. Marta's wines are skilfully made, but not only that, they also have plenty of personality. These are wines you remember. 40 % of the production is exported.
Marta Pedra and Josep Serra i Pla of Vins de Pedra, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography
The wines
Picapedra Blanc 2023, Marta Pedra
100 % parellada. Late harvest, picking end of October. This is a very expressive Parellada. Marta has some skin contact in the press and ferments in stainless steel. With its hint of saltiness, this is a fresh, delicious wine.
Picapedra Trepat, Marta Pedra
Trepat is here blended with Garnacha. These varieties, says Marta, go very well together. The wine has a light red colour with aromas of red fruit, some spices, and a lovely freshness.
Folls Blanc 2023, Vins de Pedra
A creamy and enjoyable wine from Macabeu.
Folls Negre 2024, Vins de Pedra
A superb and very juicy blend of Garnacha and Trepat.
L'Orni 2023, Vins de Pedra
A blend of Chardonnay and Parellada. Only a small percentage goes into wood. Lovely mouthfeel and more tropical in the aromas.
Trempat Negre 2023, Vins de Pedra
There is a massive concentration of aromas in this Trepat wine. Marta does green harvest in July to ventilate the canopy and lower the risk of fungus. But it also reduces the yield. It is spicy, floral, elegant, and long in the mouth.
The landscape around Vins de Pedra in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Castell d'Or
The wine cooperatives have played an important part here, as in many other wine regions in Europe, and still do. The Castell d'Or in the village of Barberá de la Conca belongs to a group of 16 cooperatives. Most of the wine is sold in bulk. Castell d'Or was founded 20 years ago to bottle more of the members' grapes.
Here in Conca de Barberà, says Gonzalo Cle de Diago, the commercial director, red Trepat became fashionable when the smaller, independent wine growers started making it. 'Until that moment, Trepat, which is a variety from this area, was basically used only to produce rose Cava or rose wine. 'Because cava was a secure market, making red wine from Trepat was like a revolution; it was a change for not only us, but also for the DO Conca de Barberà.'
'As light red wine is popular now, we have had a positive response with our red Trepat. It is a very adaptable grape; it adapts better than many varieties to climate change and to different soils.'
Gonzalo stresses that they do not use any irrigation. They cannot get water because the area lacks these resources. Maybe in future, he says, there are ongoing projects for desalination from the government. In the meantime, it's best to stick to adaptable grape varieties.
Wines
Rosé Trepat 2024, Castell d'Or, Conca de Barberà
A flavourful rosé wine, light in body, but packed with red fruit and quite long in the mouth (~7 euros).
Castell d'Or Trepat 2024, Conca de Barberà
Easy-drinking, still with character and lots of fruit, juicy in a pleasant style. Ferment in stainless steel tanks (~7 euros).
The "wine cathedral" (winery) at Castell d'Or, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Celler Rendé Masdéu
The roots of the company go back to the beginning of the 20th century. Josep M. Rendé was a Catalan agronomist who was involved in founding the first agricultural cooperatives in the region. We take a leap to modern days. In 1991, Josep M. and Joan Rendé Masdeu, two brothers, decided to make their own wines. Another jump to the dramatic events in October 2019, the flooding of the Francolí River, which totally devastated the winery. Some fermentation thanks were washed away and found later downstream and are now like a modern abstract sculpture in the garden. With a lot of help from other wineries from all over Catalonia, they managed to restart their activities. In 2020 they moved to new winery between L'Espluga de Francolí and Montblanc.
Here, Guillem Roig Josa is the oenologist, and he makes around 75,000 bottles a year ('but because of the drought the last three years have been more like 50,000 bottles', he says).
The wines
Rendé Masdéu Reserva Superior Brut Nature 2021, DO Conca de Barberà
A sparkling wine from the DO Conca de Barberà (still unusual as most producers here make Cava when they make sparkling). With Trepat and Parellada. Delicious, savoury, and fresh.
La Nimfa blanc 2024, Celler Rendé Masdéu
Macabeu, Garnacha blanca and Trepat give here a fresh, floral wine with green apple aromas and a certain structure.
Genuïna 2023, Celler Rendé Masdéu
Garnacha blanca and Trepat with fermentation and ageing in oak. White fruit aromas, litchi, structured with balanced oak influence.
El Follet Rosat, Celler Rendé Masdéu
Syrah with short skin maceration of only 8 hours. Like a fruit basket and fresh notes of tomato sprigs.
Trepat del Jordiet 2022, Celler Rendé Masdéu
This Trepat spent 8 months in amphora. Red fruit, pepper, fresh herbs, fennel, easy-drinking and pleasant. 11,5% alc.
The tank that was crushed by the flood at Celler Rendé Masdéu, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Mas de la Pansa
Imma Soler had a dream. Instead of just selling the grapes from the family vineyard, she wanted to make her own wine. Which she now has been doing since 2016. From 60-year-old bush vines, she makes flavourful Trepat from Conca de Barberà and also Macabeu and Parellada from the neighbouring region of Alt Camp. All these three varieties have their distinct personality, says Imma. She has 5 hectares and works sustainably, using natural products to treat the vineyard. Her wines are full of life and character.
Trepat Tinto 2020, Mas de la Pansa, Conca de Barberà
The family planted this vineyard in 1957 on a northern slope. There is vitality and energy in the wine, a lot of freshness, red berries, and fresh herbs. 'The important thing is to pick at the right moment', says Imma.
Imma Soler of Mas de la Pansa, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Familia Torres
The last wine I want to present is maybe the most famous of all Conca de Barberà wines: Grans Muralles from the Familia Torres, the famous Catalan family, one of the most renowned Spanish wine producers.
The project Gran Muralles started in the early 1980s, aiming at recovering old and forgotten Catalan grape varieties (a passion project of the Torres family). In Grans Muralles, two of these forgotten grapes, the Garró and Querol varieties, are used together with Cariñena, Garnacha, and Monastrell. They are all vinified and aged separately. The vineyard is composed of a very particular slate and granite soil.
Grans Muralles 2019, Familia Torres
A smooth, silky, complex wine with intensity and layers of aromas, lots of fruit, and a good backbone structure. The 'Muralles' are the medieval walls of the extraordinary Poblet Monastery that surround the Torres Conca de Barberà vineyard.
Familia Torres Grans Muralles, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Cellers Domenys
Cellers Domenys is a union of 8 cooperatives, three in Conca and four in Penedès. The union comprises 800 farmers and 2,500 hectares (6,000 acres). The winery is in the village of Rocafort de Queralt, in a 1917 building, a so-called wine cathedral by the architect, Cesar Martinell. These wine cathedrals are so special for the region that Cellers Domenys are planning not only a renovation of the cellar, but also a museum för Martinell, which will be made into 'a stop for wine lovers, and also feature a restaurant and a tasting room', says Josep Almirall, the export manager. They will also build a small winery separated from the main winery, for a small production of 30,000 bottles of wine for the true wine enthusiasts.
Cellers Domenys cellar, "wine cathedral" in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography
The wines
Cellers Domenys Anima Nua Cor Viu 2023
Macabeu and Parellada are picked and fermented separately in stainless steel tanks and then spend a couple of months in oak barrels. A lovely wine with volume in the mouth, fresh acidity, flavours of green apples and grapefruit. A perfect food wine, according to Josep: 'It goes with a lot of things and Spanish people eat a lot of different things at the same time'.
Domenio Anima Nua Cor Viu
A blend of Ull de Llebre (local name for Tempranillo) and Trepat, aged for some time in big oak barrels for the microoxygation, not for the oak flavours. A delicious, refreshing, easy-drinking wine for any occasion.
Domenio Trepat 2021
A single vineyard wine with 60-year-old vines. Fermentation is in small 500-litre oak barrels, and only 1,000 bottles are made. Structured with fresh acidity and length, the oak is well integrated, and the overall impression is of a balanced, delicious wine with the red fruit aromas that are characteristic of Trepat. (15 euros)
—Britt Karlsson