The Wine: Serè 2021
Celler Vendrell Serè 2021 is a red wine made from a blend of Garnacha and Carignan farmed organically in Penedès, Spain. The grapes grow within the Monsant DO in Tarragona and are manually harvested and aged for 6 months in French oak. Red berries on the nose, fruit-forward wine, perfect with meat-based dishes or grilled vegetables.
The Producer: Celler Vendrell
Josep-Maria Vendrell is a winemaker to watch out for. He owns 17 hectares of vines around the village of Marca in the Montsant DO of Tarragona, Catalunya. He keeps the best old-vine lots of grapes and sells the rest off in bulk. He values terroir driven wines and does not want to make formulaic wines of little character and full of new oak simply to wine please wine journalists as has happened over the years in this region. He crafts wine from very old vines (50-80 years) Garnacha and Cariñena. Vendrell’s vineyards are farmed organically without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. This is a truly artisan operation; he manages the vineyards and the winery with assistance from his father and a longtime family friend. Their production is limited and worth searching out. (source: Bishop's Cellar)
The Region: Penedès
Penedès is a sub-region located west of Barcelona, in Catalunya, Spain. Penedès is Catalunya’s most important wine district and carries the status of DO, Denominación de Origen. The region is famous worldwide for its main product: the excellent Cava sparkling wine – made with the Champenoise method.
The Terroir of Penedès
Penedès has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers. The three subregions in which it can be divided, Baix Penedès, Medio Penedès, and Alt Penedès (where Azimut is located) – respectively low, middle, high Penedès, - have slightly different climates due primarily to altitude and distance from the coast. Soils range from calcareous, the prevalent formation, to sandy and clayey.
The Red Wines of Penedès
Red wines are usually blends of native varietals such as Tempranillo, Penedès main red grape varietal, Garnacha (Garnatxa), Monastrell, and Carinena. In recent years, a handful of producers have been experimenting with international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with good results.
The White Wines of Penedès
White still wines, in other words, non-Cava white wines, are made from the same native varietals used for Catalunya’s flagship sparkler, Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. Only recently Chardonnay has been used both in Cava blends and as a still wine, a trend that’s gaining popularity.