"It's impossible to fight the offers from Spanish DOs, who give you another pallet for free when you buy one pallet in restaurants."

GironaThe DO Empordà has just turned fifty, and for the first time, local grape varieties are gaining ground over foreign varieties. There are even more developments in these five decades, such as the fact that Empordà restaurants preferentially offer wines from the Designation of Origin (DO) on their menus. And this is true despite the intensely competitive market. "It's impossible to compete with the offerings from Spanish Designations of Origin (DOs), which give you another for free when you buy one pallet," says the president of the DO Empordà, Carme Casacuberta, who notes that this practice is known in the industry as the 1+1 offer. "Our artisanal production has a tough time with these offers, but I maintain that in the last ten years, restaurants have fully invested in our wines," she adds.

Regarding local varieties, Casacuberta comments that Carignan and Garnacha grapes account for 60% of the crop, while the remaining 40% is taken up by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and other international whites. There are even more changes. While until a few years ago the DO Empordà was a land of red wines, currently the production of red and white wines is 50/50, and is beginning to shift in favor of whites. "We are a land of great fresh whites and also of great ageing," explains the president of the DO Empordà, who assures that it is now accepted that a white wine can cost more than a red one.

The fact that local varieties are increasingly being cultivated has helped. "Everything has changed in a short time, because white Carignan was declared the official variety of the Empordà designation of origin in 2018, and last year it was the same with gray Carignan," explains Casacuberta, who is also the winemaker at the Olivardots winery. In the few years since the varieties have received European approval, the wineries have planted more Carignan vineyards, to the point that white Carignan now has 20 hectares, and gray Carignan, six.

Varieties projected for the future

As with all appellations of origin, there was a time when foreign varieties were preferred, but currently "they are the ones that cannot withstand high temperatures, and if we want to grow, if we want to project ourselves into the future with quality wines, we must plant and recover Cariñenas and Garnachas," Casacu continues. The most excellent was the Gran Claustro, from the Perelada winery, which was first released on the market in 1993.

In these fifty years of history, the DO Empordà has experienced all kinds of things, including dark ones. The fires that ravaged the area in 2012 and 2021 are two of the tragic moments. "That's when you realize how important the vineyard is to the area, because it acts as a firebreak, because they are clean spaces, not as flammable as forests," says Casacuberta, who recalls how she, as a winemaker, experienced the 2012 fire with her daughter, Carlota Pena. "Campaño, where we have the vineyards, crossed the entire town, and that was the case for three days." Carme says she couldn't even access the winery or the town because communications were cut off: "The fire was devouring everything in its path, but it couldn't even take out the cork oaks or the vineyards." And at this point, the president of the DO Empordà clarifies it, because the vineyard survived, but the fire did burn the leaves, and without leaves, the grapes do not ripen.

Since the fire occurred in July, they were unable to harvest all the grapes in September. And the other part that they harvested had the aroma of smokeThe high temperature of the fire licking the vine caused the vine to break what are technically called the lignin chains, and hence acquired the aroma of smoke.

History is behind us, and the DO Empordà is currently setting new challenges for the future. To begin with, "with the Catalan Wine Institute, INCAVI, we are studying Garnacha and Cariñena in relation to the terroir," says the president of the DO Empordà. To continue, "we put a lot of effort into promoting wine tourism, which we would like to attract tourists interested in the historical and cultural heritage, the sea, and the mountains, which is what the designation of origin encompasses." As part of this objective, the DO has created, for the first time, the Terrer Empordà Festival, which took place between May 15 and 18 in emblematic locations: the Vilabertran Monastery, Empúries, Cadaqués, San Pedro de Rodas, and Calonge, where tastings of the wines from the designation of origin were held. And in April, another one, Vívid, was held, with the talk 10 wines to celebrate history, which led to the participation of archaeologist and sommelier Romina Ribera. Finally, the well-established Girona Wine Tastings, which will take place in the Devesa district of Girona from June 13 to 14, will feature fourteen wineries with tastings also scheduled at emblematic locations in the city of Girona. Casacuberta also explains that there will be itineraries connecting heritage, vineyards, wineries, and wines.

Finally, Carme Casabuerta points out that wine sales, in general, not just from the DO Empordà, decreased by 10% in 2024. "Younger consumers haven't entered the world of wine, and adults are the ones who are stopping drinking," probably for health reasons and because healthy lifestyle habits have demonized alcohol. The downward trend in consumption is also occurring worldwide, so much so that INCAVI is currently processing a law on alcohol-free wines, which will likely lead to a significant decline in the number of alcoholic beverages sold. came in the fermented beverage with 0.00% alcohol because it violates the definition of wine. "If we stop drinking wine, we stop cultivating the vineyards that act as a firewall against potential fires, but we also lose our history, economy, and culture," concludes the president of the DO Empordà.