Alella (wine)
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Alella is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) (''Denominació d'Origen'' in
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
) for wines produced in Maresme county in the province of Barcelona in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, located on the Mediterranean coast, 15 km to the north of the city of Barcelona. It is one of the smallest DOs in Spain as the vineyards have been encroached upon by urban development. At the present time it only covers one third of the area that it covered in 1956 when it was established,http://www.gencat.cat/diari/4585/06045138.htm (in Catalan) despite a territorial extension in 1989.


History

Wines have been produced in this area since the time of the ancient Romans, and were mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his '' Naturalis Historia'' and by
Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...
in his '' Epigrams'', when they were known as ''vins laietans''. Structures have been found at the archaeological site of
Veral de Vallmora Veral is a village in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra state in Western India. The 2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House lis ...
, near
Teià Teià is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. Twin towns * Massarosa Massarosa is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The city is near Lucca and Pisa. The city hosts Massaros ...
, showing that wine was made there from the 1st to 4th centuries AD. During the Middle Ages Alella wine was served at the court of the Kings of Aragón. The region suffered the effects of the
phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
virus at the end of the 19th century but the vineyards were successfully replanted using phylloxera resistant rootstock from the New World. In 1906 the wine cooperative, Alella Vinícola, was founded which is renowned for its traditional Marfil brand. The wine cellars were designed by the modernist architect Jeroni Martorell i Terrats. During the 1920s the region was famous for its cava (sparkling wine). During the 1980s new varieties were introduced and the wine-making methods modernized. The wineries are urban mansions that are built on the slopes overlooking the sea. The height above sea level of the vineyards determines the variety grown and thus the type of wine produced.


Geography

The vineyards grow on the
Serra de Parpers Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil * Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area *Amp ...
foothills, from the coast up the slopes of the mountains. The Besòs river forms the western boundary. There are two distinct areas within the DO: * Maresme, on the foothills overlooking the sea, is influenced by the sun and the Mediterranean breezes. The hills protect the vines from the cold winds and condense the humidity caused by the sea. The wines from this area are smooth with low acidity levels. * Vallès, on the interior slopes facing inland, has a more
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
. The wines are stronger and more acidic. The DO covers the following municipalities: Maresme: Alella, Argentona, Cabrils, El Masnou, Montgat, Ã’rrius,
Premià de Dalt Premià de Dalt is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its S ...
, Premià de Mar,
Teià Teià is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. Twin towns * Massarosa Massarosa is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The city is near Lucca and Pisa. The city hosts Massaros ...
, Tiana,
Vilassar de Dalt Vilassar de Dalt () is a village in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona and the ''comarca'' of Maresme Maresme () is a '' comarca'' (county) located along the Catalan Mediterranean coast in Spain, between the ''comarques'' of Barce ...
Vallès: La Roca del Vallès, Martorelles,
Montornès del Vallès Montornès del Vallès is a municipality in the province of Barcelona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and the population in 2014 was 16,217. History The was one of the battles of the Second Wa ...
, Santa Maria de Martorelles,
Sant Fost de Campsentelles Sant Fost de Campsentelles is a village in the province of Barcelona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ' ...
,
Vallromanes Vallromanes is a village in the Vallès Oriental, bordering Maresme, and approximately 25 km from Barcelona in Catalunya, Spain. It forms part of the Barcelona metropolitan area and extends along the northeastern slopes of the Sant Mateu range ...
,
Vilanova del Vallès Vilanova del Vallès is a village in the province of Barcelona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nati ...


Climate

The oldest vineyards, close to the coast at an altitude of between 60 – 90 m above sea level enjoy a totally Mediterranean climate (mild winters, hot summers), whereas the younger ones, located higher up in cooler areas have a more continental climate. The average temperature is about 15 Â°C (max 35 Â°C in summer, min -3 Â°C in winter) and there is a risk of frost during the winter and spring months especially at the higher altitudes. Rainfall is sparse to average falling mainly at the end of summer and autumn in the form of violent storms. Average of 600 mm per year.


Soils

The lowest vineyards, at 60 m above sea level, are on dark soils over igneous rocks in an open valley overlooking the sea. The highest ones, in a new district known as Vallés, are on lime bearing rock sheltered by the mountains. The most interesting feature of Allella DO is the distinctive topsoil which is known as ''sauló'' in Catalan. It is basically a white granite-based sand which is very porous and retains heat very well. This helps the grapes to ripen, while the low water retention properties are compensated by the local humid microclimate.


Grape varieties

White: * Recommended: Garnacha blanca and Xarel·lo (Pansa blanca) * Also authorized:
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
, Chenin,
Macabeo Macabeo, also called Viura 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. Spanish ...
, Malvasia, Moscatell de Gra Petit, Parellada, Picapoll Blanc, and
Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
Red: * Recommended:
Garnacha Negra Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...
* Also authorized:
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 Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
, Garnatxa Peluda,
Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
, Monastrell (Morastrell),
Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
, Samsó,
Mazuela Mazuela is a municipality and town located in the Burgos (province), province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to a 2008 estimate (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 97 inhabitant ...
,
Sumoll negre The Sumoll is a black grape variety. It is a rustic variety, native from the Penedès region in Catalonia (EU), drought resistant and with uniform development. The grape is long and big. It is used to produce red, white, rosé wines and cava (Cat ...
,
Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...
and Ull de llebre (
Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...
) The older vines grow freely while the newer vineyards have been planted on trellises. Planting density is between 2,000 and 3,500 vines per hectare.


See also

* Catalan wine


References


External links


Official Website of DO Alella
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alella (Do) Wine regions of Spain Catalan wine