D.O. Emporda - the windy wine region

Last night the D.O. Empordà held a promotional event in Barcelona. The small and hilly Empordà region is tucked into the northeast corner of Spain and is home to about 40 wineries. One of the signature features there are the Tramuntana winds that can get so strong that vine rows must be planted running north to south so as not to be knocked over.

There is one regional heavyweight: Castell Peralada, which owns 150 hectares of vineyards and produces nearly 2 million bottles a year of still wines and cavas, plus a wine spa & hotel, casino and golf course. The majority of wineries in the Empordà are small to micro-wineries run by families and friends.

At last night's event were roughly 24 wineries present. For me personally, the most distinctive wines were:

Celler Roig Parals: The Roig Parals Samsó is made from vines the are between 75 to 125 years old and the result is sublime. The winery was started about 4 years ago and produces only 20,000 bottles per year.

Celler Arché Pagès: Their Bonfill 2004, made from Garnatxa negra and Cabernet is a refined explosion of fruit.

Lavinyeta: a small winery that combines dedication with a sense of fun in their wines Heus, Puntiapart and Llavors.

Vinyes dels Aspres: which has become our own "house wine": Oriol an unfiltered unaged wine and the regal S'Alou (2400 bottles produced in 2004).

Celler Martin Faixó: their Cadac '04 is sheer elegance and the Perafita '05 a diamond in the rough that will shine after further bottle aging.

Oliver Conti: A regional classic that is expanding thier product range. High quality all the way.

These wineries are really doing good work and deserve greater recognition. Seek out their wines (but be sure to share!!).