These are the 24 most prestigious wines produced in Catalonia

BarcelonaFor sommelier Ferran Centelles, Finca Calificada wines are a mark of prestige. "A mirror that makes us proud. It's a good tool for selling it. Wine is the only beverage we drink every day where we know where the ingredients come from. We don't have that with beer, milk, or coffee. Not to mention vodka. This connection with the land is historical," he says. This select group of Finca Calificada wines, a distinction awarded by Incavi after a process that can take between two and three years, is "the wine we can proudly and satisfyingly take around the world with its exceptional qualities," in the words of Joan Gené, director of Incavi. And the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, Òscar Ordeig, added that "the future lies in making products with added value. We have to aim for high prices, added value, and create a national brand. Food products are more segmented than ever. The customer wants a unique and differentiated experience." In this offering, we've added new wines with the seal. It had been two years since any wines had been included in the Qualified Estate Wines list, and this year five wines have been added, increasing the total from 19 to 24. Four of them are from the same winery.

Can Bas Wines

The winery that brings together four wines is Can Bas, the project of Pere Ventura and Mireia Jové in the Penedès DO. When they acquired the estate, they realized there were five plots they couldn't use to make cava, the family's other major business. They were planted with unauthorized grape varieties. "The estate has a 700-year history, and the vineyards had to stay. We didn't intend to build a winery, but rather to preserve these plots," explained Mireia Jové. Pere Ventura recalled that it's a project born from a commitment to the land and the people around it. "My family, like the Raventós, is the oldest." champagne bucket "From Spain. When we acquired the estate, the most historic in the Penedès region, we made a promise to the 27 generations of the same family who have lived there. The Romans were already making wine; the Via Augusta passes through here," Ventura recalled. Jové made a promise when they acquired the Can Bas estate and wrote: "The ambition for these wines should be that within 10 or 15 years, by 2025, they will be Vinos de Finca Qualificada (Qualified Estate Wines)." Can Bas has two winemakers: Bet Palahí for the white wines and Roger Ofèril for the reds.

The Cross4,600 bottles, at 35 euros. Sauvignon Blanc, Rosalía's variety. "A full-bodied white wine, without exuberance, but aromatically rich," said the experts. A Sauvignon Blanc with a profile typical of the Penedès region, added Centelles.

La Romana1,900 bottles, at 65 euros. Xarel·lo and Chardonnay. An "ambitious" white wine, they said at the tasting. The name refers to the remains found on the estate. A mouth-watering wine. Part of the wine rests in terracotta amphorae. "White is the new black""Pure, mineral, and profound wine," said sommelier Meritxell Falgueras.

The Chapel6,000 bottles, at 35 euros. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards surrounding a medieval chapel in Sant Joan de Salerm. An intimate wine from vines that are almost 30 years old and from a very delicate plot.

Monreal2,700 bottles, at 70 euros. Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine made to honor the farmers, as the Monreal family were the tenant farmers who looked after the estate. A blend of red and black fruits. A wine to age.

Wine from Celler Collbaix

The Collbaix winery belongs to Josep Maria Claret and Sebastià Callà, two neighboring farmers. They began planting vineyards in 1990. "If the Bages region had been so important for winemaking, why couldn't we be again?" Claret said. While everyone else was uprooting vines, they were planting with their own hands. The Bages DO (Designation of Origin) was created five years later, in 1995. According to data from Centelels and Falgueres, in 1408 half the population of Bages had their own winery at home. Before the phylloxera epidemic, between 1860 and 1890, Bages was the region with the most vineyards in Catalonia. In fact, Claret gives an example: "The Macabeo vines we have are like encyclopedias; they knew my grandfather and great-grandfather, something I never had the chance to do." The Collbaix winery wine that made the list is the following:

Singular blackBetween 1,500 and 3,000 bottles, at €31.50. Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in red clay soils. The variety became fashionable in the 1990s. Vineyard located on a hill, sheltered from the wind and sunny. Depth and balsamic freshness. Fermented and aged in new barrels. Spends between 20 and 22 months in oak. A mature style with a high concentration of fruit.