Conca de Barberà (DO)
Encyclopedia
Conca de Barberà is a Spanish Denominación de Origen
(DO) (Denominació d'Origen in Catalan
) for wines located in central Catalonia
in the north of the province of Tarragona
in the valleys of the rivers Francolí
and Anguera
, and is known for its white wines.
it had all but disappeared from the Conca de Barberà area. As in many other wine producing regions, wine production took off again thanks to the influence of the monasteries founded in the Middle Ages
, in this case the Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet
, near Montblanc
which was then the third largest city of Catalonia. In the 12th century both the Knights Templar
and the monks from Poblet worked the vineyards. The wine was produced in the basement of the monastery and can be visited today.
The period from the end of the 18th century to the mid 19th century was one of expansion for the area. Wines and spirits were exported to northern Europe and to the Americas and grapes became the dominant crop. In this period terraces were built on the mountainsides to increase the area under vines as much as possible. The railway connecting Montblanc to Reus
on the coast was built in order to transport wine more rapidly and efficiently.
The arrival of the phylloxera
virus at the end of the 19th century marked the end of this boom period as most of the vineyards were devastated. However the comeback was spectacular. The Conca de Barberà area was the first in Catalonia, and in the rest of Spain, to form agricultural cooperatives based on grape growing and wine production.
Thus in 1894 the grape growers of Barberà founded a syndicate for collective wine production. Under the direction of Joan Espulgas (a vintner who had learned how to combat the phylloxera virus in France
) the syndicate undertook the project of replanting all the vineyards in the Conca area, by grafting onto phylloxera resistant New World
rootstock. Success ensued and in 1903 the first cooperative winery in Spain was built in the town of Barberà.
Conca de Barberà attained official DO status in 1985.
, and the DO covers a total of 14 municipalities in the north of the province of Tarragona: Barberà de la Conca
, Blancafort
, Conesa
, L'Espluga de Francolí
, Forés
, Montblanc, Pira
, Rocafort de Queralt, Sarral
, Senan
, Solivella
, Vallclara
, Vilaverd
and Vimbodí
.
The vineyards are planted in the valleys of the rivers Francolí and Anguera and are surrounded and protected by mountain ranges: the Serra de Montclar, Codony mountain and Serra de Comalats in the north, the Serra de Miramar and Cogulló in the east, the Serra de Prades in the south, and the Serra del Tallat
and Serra de Vilobí in the west.
The land is mainly flat or slightly undulating at heights of between 350 and 600 m above sea level.
The mountain ranges protect the area from the wind, while the high altitude means that the summers are not too hot. Humidity is slightly higher than in neighbouring DO’s. The vines receive around 2,500 hours of sunlight per year.
and Parellada
for the production of white wines and cava, and Garnacha
, Trepat and Tempranillo
(known locally as Ull de Llebre) for red wines. However, the Regulatory Council of the DO has also authorised some foreign varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
, Merlot
, Pinot Noir
, Syrah and Chardonnay
. White varieties represent about two thirds of the vines planted.
The older vines are planted as low bushes (en vaso), while the more recently planted ones are on trellises(en espaldera) to increase production.
Planting density is around 2,000 – 2,500 vines per hectare, though the maximum authorised density is 4,500 vines/ha.
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
(DO) (Denominació d'Origen in Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
) for wines located in central Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
in the north of the province of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
in the valleys of the rivers Francolí
Francolí
The Francolí is a river in Catalonia . Its source is in the Prades Mountains and it flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Tarragona....
and Anguera
Anguera
-Sources:* United Nations * Wikimapia...
, and is known for its white wines.
History
It is highly probable that wine production was introduced by the ancient Romans but by the time of the Moorish dominion of the Iberian peninsulaIberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
it had all but disappeared from the Conca de Barberà area. As in many other wine producing regions, wine production took off again thanks to the influence of the monasteries founded in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, in this case the Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet
Poblet Monastery
The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the feet of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia . It was founded by Cistercian monks from France on lands conquered from the Moors...
, near Montblanc
Montblanc, Tarragona
Montblanc s the capital of the Catalan comarca Conca de Barberà, in the Spanish province of Tarragona.The Prades Mountains are located in the vicinity of this municipality.-History:The area around Montblanc has been inhabited for thousands of years...
which was then the third largest city of Catalonia. In the 12th century both the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and the monks from Poblet worked the vineyards. The wine was produced in the basement of the monastery and can be visited today.
The period from the end of the 18th century to the mid 19th century was one of expansion for the area. Wines and spirits were exported to northern Europe and to the Americas and grapes became the dominant crop. In this period terraces were built on the mountainsides to increase the area under vines as much as possible. The railway connecting Montblanc to Reus
Reus
Reus is the capital of the comarca of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has always been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental importance at the time of the Phylloxera plague...
on the coast was built in order to transport wine more rapidly and efficiently.
The arrival of the phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
virus at the end of the 19th century marked the end of this boom period as most of the vineyards were devastated. However the comeback was spectacular. The Conca de Barberà area was the first in Catalonia, and in the rest of Spain, to form agricultural cooperatives based on grape growing and wine production.
Thus in 1894 the grape growers of Barberà founded a syndicate for collective wine production. Under the direction of Joan Espulgas (a vintner who had learned how to combat the phylloxera virus in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) the syndicate undertook the project of replanting all the vineyards in the Conca area, by grafting onto phylloxera resistant New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
rootstock. Success ensued and in 1903 the first cooperative winery in Spain was built in the town of Barberà.
Conca de Barberà attained official DO status in 1985.
Geography
Most of the vineyards are located around the historic town of MontblancMontblanc, Tarragona
Montblanc s the capital of the Catalan comarca Conca de Barberà, in the Spanish province of Tarragona.The Prades Mountains are located in the vicinity of this municipality.-History:The area around Montblanc has been inhabited for thousands of years...
, and the DO covers a total of 14 municipalities in the north of the province of Tarragona: Barberà de la Conca
Barberà de la Conca
Barberà de la Conca is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
, Blancafort
Blancafort
Blancafort is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A forestry and farming village situated in the valley of the river Sauldre, some north of Bourges at the junction of the D8, D30 and the D39 roads. The commune has a border with the department of Loiret. A...
, Conesa
Conesa, Tarragona
Conesa, Tarragona is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, L'Espluga de Francolí
L'Espluga de Francolí
L'Espluga de Francolí is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
, Forés
Forès
Forès is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, Montblanc, Pira
Pira, Tarragona
Pira, Tarragona is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-External links:**-References:...
, Rocafort de Queralt, Sarral
Sarral
Sarral is a village in Haripur District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan with a population of about 2000. It is located east of the district Haripur at 33° 52' 60N 73° 1' 60E. It is located on the right bank of Haro stream. Its mountains are covered with Pine and Myrobalan آملہ trees ...
, Senan
Senan
Senan may refer* Saint Senan of Inis Cathaig* Saint Senan of Laraghabrine* Senan, Yonne, a commune in France* Senan, Tarragona, a municipality in Spain...
, Solivella
Solivella
Solivella is a municipality in the comarca of the Conca de Barberà in Catalonia, Spain.Mentioned for the first time in a document from 1058, it rose around a castle, of which today only ruins remain...
, Vallclara
Vallclara
Vallclara is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, Vilaverd
Vilaverd
Vilaverd is a municipality in the comarca of the Conca de Barberà in Catalonia, Spain.The Prades Mountains are located in the vicinity of this municipality.-References:...
and Vimbodí
Vimbodí
Vimbodí is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
.
The vineyards are planted in the valleys of the rivers Francolí and Anguera and are surrounded and protected by mountain ranges: the Serra de Montclar, Codony mountain and Serra de Comalats in the north, the Serra de Miramar and Cogulló in the east, the Serra de Prades in the south, and the Serra del Tallat
Serra del Tallat
Serra del Tallat is a mountain range of the Catalan Central Depression, Catalonia, Spain. It has an altitude of 802 metres above sea level.Thhe highest summit of the Serra del Tallat is the Tossal Gros de Vallbona; it is located between the municipal limits of Espluga de Francolí, Conca de Barberà...
and Serra de Vilobí in the west.
The land is mainly flat or slightly undulating at heights of between 350 and 600 m above sea level.
Soils
Most of the vines are on dark lime bearing soils, quite loose and poor in organic matter. Towards the foothills of the Sierra de Prades slate can be found in the rock.Climate
The climate is temperate Mediterranean, with hot summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature is 14°C with extremes of 35°C in summer and -6°C in winter. There is a risk of frost in spring for the vineyards at the highest altitudes. Rainfall is mainly in autumn and the average annual figure is around 500 mm.The mountain ranges protect the area from the wind, while the high altitude means that the summers are not too hot. Humidity is slightly higher than in neighbouring DO’s. The vines receive around 2,500 hours of sunlight per year.
Grapes
The traditional grapes used are MacabeoMacabeo
Viura, also called Macabeo or Macabeu is a white variety of wine grape.It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France...
and Parellada
Parellada
Parellada is a white grape variety of Catalan origin specially grown in Catalonia. With Macabeu and Xarel·lo, is one of the three traditional varieties used to make the sparkling wine Cava, which is primarily produced in Catalonia...
for the production of white wines and cava, and Garnacha
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
, Trepat and Tempranillo
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...
(known locally as Ull de Llebre) for red wines. However, the Regulatory Council of the DO has also authorised some foreign varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, Syrah and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
. White varieties represent about two thirds of the vines planted.
The older vines are planted as low bushes (en vaso), while the more recently planted ones are on trellises(en espaldera) to increase production.
Planting density is around 2,000 – 2,500 vines per hectare, though the maximum authorised density is 4,500 vines/ha.