| Empordà (wine region) | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Denominació d'Origen Empordà |
| Type | Denominación de Origen |
| Year established | 1972 |
| Country | Spain |
| Part of | Catalonia |
| Sub-regions | Empordà county |
| Climate region | III |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 600-700 mm |
Empordà is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) (Denominació d'Origen in Catalan), formerly known as Empordà-Costa Brava, for wines produced in the northeastern corner of Catalonia, Spain.
It extends from the town of Figueres northwards to the French border and the French wine-making regions of Banyuls and Côtes du Roussillon.
The DO is crossed by the rivers Muga, Llobregat and Manol which flow eastwards to the Mediterranean Sea.
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Archaeologists have suggested that vines were first introduced to this region by the Phoenicians in the 5th century BC. The ancient Romans and the Benedictine monks later also contributed. The first written documentation dates from 1130 and was a treatise on wine written by Father Pere de Novas in the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. As in Penedès, this area used to produce strong sweet wines which were very popular until the 1930s. The region acquired its DO status in 1972.[1]
The DO is divided into two subzones: the northern Alt Empordà subzone with 35 municipalities, and the southern Baix Empordà subzone with 13 municipalites.
The soils are generally dark, with a certain lime content, loose, good drainage and poor in organic matter. There is some granite content near the coast.
The climate is Mediterranean, with influences from the moisture bearing winds from the south and cold winds from the north, especially the Tramontana, which can sometimes attain speeds of 120 km/h. The average annual temperature is 16 °C (max 29 °C, min 1.5 °C) and there is abundant rainfall over the course of the year, between 600 and 700 mm/yr, falling mainly in winter.
The Empordà DO is known mainly for its rosé wines, the main grape varieties being Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca, which together represent 82% of all vines planted. Their preponderance is diminishing over the years as producers opt for new experimental varieties such as Xarel·lo and Muscat. The vines are tied down on stakes to protect them from the Tramontana wind.
Red and white wine is produced, though rosé is the main type of wine produced in the DO. Several traditional wines are also produced: Garnatxa, a type of sweet red wine made from grapes that have been sun-dried on mats before pressing (in the Straw wine method). It has deep red-orange color and it is left to age for 10 years. Another traditional wine is a white wine made from Garnacha grapes with a small part of white grapes. These traditional wines are generally made either with Garnacha or Cariñena grapes, the proportions varying greatly depending on the producer, from 80-20 to 20-80.
Authorised red varieties include Garnacha and Cariñena, with the recent addition of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo. Authorised white varieties include Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca, with the recent addition of Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Xarel·lo