Do we know the name of the grape that we eat?

We know it by the generic name, but a Xarel·lo is not the same as a Garnacha or a Malvasia

1 min
picapoll

We eat grapes but we don't know which variety. It is an arduous task to distinguish them, but if we have managed to identify olives, why not grapes. The more knowledge, the more appreciation for one of the most traditional fruits of our country.

Most cultivated varieties in Catalonia
In hectares
Where to find them

Figueres

Tremp

la Bisbal

Girona

Manresa

Tàrrega

Lleida

les Borges Blanques

Mataró

Alella

Montblanc

Vilafranca

del Penedès

Barcelona

Valls

Reus

Falset

Vilanova i la Geltrú

Gandesa

Móra

d’Ebre

Tarragona

Garnatxa negra

Macabeu

DO Empordà

DO Conca de Barberà

DO Montsant

DO Tarragona

DOP Priorat

DO Catalunya

Xarel·lo

Garnatxa blanca

DO Alella

DO Terra Alta

DO Penedès

Merlot

Chardonnay

DO Pla de Bages

DO Costers del Segre

Macabeu

Garnatxa white

Garnatxa black

Chardonnay

Xarel·lo

Merlot

Macabeu

Garnatxa white

Garnatxa black

Chardonnay

Xarel·lo

Merlot

Main white grape varieties

Macabeu

Cultivated especially in the Penedès. Along with Parellada and Xarel·lo, they are the three traditional varieties used to make sparkling wines.

Macabeu
Xarel·lo

With a thicker skin than the Macabeu and more versatile: it is used for sparkling wines, still wines, or ancestral wines.

charelu
Chardonnay

Originating from Burgundy, its berries are small and thin-skinned. It adapts well to different terroirs, and reflects them.

chardone
White Grenache

With large and compact bunches, yellow in color, it is a mutation of the black Grenache.

garnat banc
Muscat of Alexandria

Also known as Muscat of large grain, it is traditional throughout the Mediterranean.

moscatt
Picapoll blanc

Traditional grape from the Bages region. It is late-ripening and has small grapes with thin, tender skin.

picapoll

Main red grape varieties

Black Grenache

It originates from a vine resistant to drought and is late-ripening. In the Empordà region, they call it lledoner.

LLEDONER
Merlot

Originating from Bordeaux, it has thin skin and is sensitive to heat.

merlot
Carignan

Also known as Samsó, its vine is very productive and resistant to high temperatures.

sambo
Cabernet Sauvignon

Originating from Bordeaux, this variety is the result of crossing Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

savinyo
Ull de Llebre

In Spanish, English and French it is Tempranillo. Its grapes have very thick skin.

ulle
Trepat

Originating from the Conca de Barberà, it is late-ripening and has large grapes.

trepat
Sumoll negre

A drought-resistant vine, documented since the 17th century in the Penedès region. It is a very fertile variety.

sumoll
Garnatxa peluda

Also known as hairy lledoner, its grapes are medium-sized, round and grey in color; it has a thick leaf.

grarnna
Monestrell

Also known as garrut, this vine variety is native to the Empordà region. It has small, purple-colored grapes with thick skin.

monestrell
Infographic in the ARA Diumenge newspaper
raimm
Source: Atlas of Catalan wine 2026. Incavi and Terroir Radical
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