Best Catalan wines

There are only 19 best Catalan wines, at least for now. The highest award that can be given to a wine from Catalonia is the VFQ Vi de Finca Qualificada appellation. Here I wrote about 6 of them, that I have personally tasted. To establish whether the stringent conditions exist to be considered an extra-ordinary wine is INCAVI Institut Català de la Vinya i el Vi. (Catalan Government Institute of Vine and Wine). These wines are true standard-bearers, which is why they are included in Plan #HoritzóINCAVI2025, which aims to disseminate the richness and variety of Catalan wine culture.

cantine da visitare in catalogna, wine experience in catalogna, Catalogna degustazione vini — Composit by Insidewine.it Ph. catalanwines.com

Map of Catalonia

Before going into detail and discovering the wineries that have, among the references, a VFQ label, below I have included a map of Catalonia. As you can see, the Catalan designations of origin are listed. This is important, because one of the parameters to become a Vi de Finca Qualificada is to have obtained the DO for at least 10 years.

Cartina della Catalogna con le aree vitivinicole a denominazione di origine dei migliori vini catalogna - Catalogna mappa Catalogna cartina — Mappa Catalogna, clicca per ingrandire – fonte catalanwines.com

What Catalonia is famous for

There is so much to see, drink and eat in this Mediterranean destination with a centuries-old history and a great cultural and natural heritage. This map of Catalonia is very interesting precisely because it shows you, in addition to the areas where you can enjoy exciting wine tourism experiences in more than 300 wineries, some of the attractions that make Catalonia famous in the world as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If you are also wondering which cities to visit in Catalonia, we recommend that you include in your travel itinerary its four regional capitals: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. But also the inland towns, such as Tortosa, Vic or Vilafranca del Penedès. With its 580 km of coastline, the Catalan Pyrenees, natural parks and protected areas, Catalonia is a destination for all tastes and ages.

How to organize a winery visit or a wine experience in Catalonia

Have you already felt like leaving? Then I provide you with an official web address with useful information, which will allow you to organize a winery visit in Catalonia. Go to www.catalanwines.com and download the catalog. In addition, the site also allows you to learn about the wine-experiences that are currently available. For example, if you choose the DO Empordà Wine Route you will be able to discover the beaches of the Costa Brava while enjoying a wine tasting in an authentic traditional boat. In addition, if you want ready-made tours to get you started, you can read our article What to see, drink and eat in 6 wine areas in Catalonia.

Who made me discover the best Catalan wines

Let’s go back to the best Catalan wines (but the premise was necessary). So, I had the opportunity to taste 6 of the 19 wines that have obtained the VFQ recognition in a masterclass organized by the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia in Italy, represented during the event by Luca Bellizzi. Project and wines were presented by the speakers Alba Balcells, director of INCAVI, and Marc Greco, sommelier of the Catalan Association of Sommeliers, WSET graduate (third level), who in the past worked for the Cos Farm in Sicily. “Finca Qualificada. The strength of terroir in the great wines of Catalonia” masterclass was included in the calendar of Rome Wine Expo (annual event open to enthusiasts) organized by Riserva Grande.

Vins de Finca Qualificada I tasted

Raïms de la immortalitat 2022 – Celler Torre del Veguer – DO Penedès
Avi Ton 2021 – Celler Eudald Massana – DO Penedès
Coma Blanca 2018 – Celler MAS D’EN GIL ~ D.O.Q. Priorat
Teixar 2019 – Celler Vinyes Domènech – DO Monsant
V d’O 2 2017- Celler Vinyes d’Olivardots – DO Empordà
Clos Mogador 2014 – Celler Clos Mogador – DOC Priorat

Grapes of immortality 2022 – Torre del Veguer Winery – DO Penedès – fascia di prezzo 25/30 euro

We are in the maritime Penedès. The winery is protected as a historic-artistic monument by the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is a historic fortified farmhouse with great charm, chateau style.
The Xarel-lo and Xarel-lo vermell grapes come from a vineyard from 1978. These varieties are traditional to Penedès and give excellent results in white winemaking and sparkling winemaking.
A curiosity: the label is a tribute to Salvator Dalì, who was a family friend, and reproduces the work Raïms de la Immortalitat from 1970 (which also gives its name to the wine).

Raïms de la immortalitat 2022 – Celler Torre del Veguer - DO Penedès

Avi Ton 2021 – Celler Eudald Massana – DO Penedès – price range 25/30 euros

The winery is located in the Central Valley of Penedès near Monserrat.
This white wine is produced from pure Xarel-lo grapes (this is one of the three main grapes used in the production of Cava sparkling wine along with Parellada and Macabeo).
The grapes come exclusively from the Avi Ton vineyard, planted in 1945 by Ton Massana, the eighth generation of the estate’s family. It is a vineyard over 78 years old with very low production and calcareous soil.
This wine is a tribute to the father of the current owner.

Coma Blanca 2018 – Celler Mas d’en Gil – DOC Priorat – BIODYNAMIC

The Priorat DOC is one of the most prestigious wine regions in Spain. It is located east of Tarragona, 130 km from Barcelona and a few kilometres from the sea, although it is well set in a mountain setting.
The Mas d’en Gil estate was founded in 1867, since 1998 it has been owned by the Rovira Carbonell family with the current fourth generation of winemakers.

Coma Blanca wine is “The Great Lady”, the jewel in the crown of Mas d’en Gil. A white wine to drink after the reds. Complex, with deep nuances and a persistent finish. This wine begins to get interesting as early as the fourth year.
Made using two vineyards of Garnatxa Blanca and two others planted in Macabeu (Viura) before 1945 on one of the estate’s most diverse terroirs. The vineyards are surrounded by pine trees and wilderness.

Coma Blanca 2018 – Celler Mas d’en Gil - DOC Priorat

Teixar 2019 – Winery Vinyes Domènech – DO Monsant – Biodinamico – fascia prezzo 60/65 euro

Let us now go to the territories of the DO Monsant, which surrounds the Priorat in a ring. The traditional grape varieties are the same, but the soil changes. Here we find less slate and more granite.

The name of the Teixarde Vinyes Domènech estate derives from a place in Capçanes known as Font del Teixar, an area of 3 hectares located in a protected natural area of great beauty and ecological value between the Serra de Llaberia and el Montalt, at an altitude of 400 m, surrounded by mountains with pine forests and Mediterranean plains.
This wine is produced with the pure Grenache Peloso grape variety.

Teixar 2019 – Celler Vinyes Domènech - DO Monsant - Biodinamico

V d’O 2 2017 – Celler Vinyes d’Olivardots – DO Empordà – Biodynamic and Vegan – price range 40/45 euro

This wine comes from the grapes of an ancient vineyard in Carignano trained as a sapling and planted back in 1909 on sandy soil called “Hort d’en Riera”.
The number of bottles that can be purchased each year is very small: only 1000. This wine, therefore, is truly a rarity.
It is a wine from biodynamic farming, which is also vegan.

V d’O 2 2017- Celler Vinyes d’Olivardots - DO Empordà - Biodinamico e Vegano

Clos Mogador 2014 – Celler Clos Mogador – DOC Priorat – Biodinamico

I was very impressed by the story of René Barbier, a man who deeply believed in the terroir of the Priorat and invested all his money and soul here. We are talking about heroic viticulture and very low yields.
Born in Tarragona in 1950, René is a direct descendant of French winemakers whose origins can be traced back to the 1200s.

He has spent his life working in the world of wine. Trained in the most prestigious winemaking schools in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Limoux, he has also worked in renowned wineries such as Moueix, which are among other things the creators of Petrus.

The Clos Mogador is a perfect combination of native grapes (the dominant Garnacha and Cariñena) and international varieties (Syrah and Cabernet-Sauvignon) that have found their maximum expression in this terroir.