Pla de Bages
Plà de Bagés Denominació d’Origen (DO) is one of the smallest DOs in Spain (600 ha) and is located in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), covering 18 municipalities. It is also one of the youngest having acquired its official status in 1998.
History
The name of Bagés is believed to derive from the ancient Roman city of Bacassis which was located in the area. According to a mediaeval document from the Benedictine monastery of Sant Benet, the Roman city was named in honour of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.
Production in the area was interrupted for almost a century after the outbreak of the phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century.
Geography
The vineyards are mainly located in the valleys of the River Llobregat and its tributaries.
Soils
There are two different types of soil in two well defined regions: a central basin (Plà de Bagés) with clay and marl soils at an altitude of 200 m above sea level; and a peripheral area (Alt Bagés) where marl and lime bearing soils with a high carbonate content abound, at an altitude of 500 m above sea level.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean with strong continental influences due to its inland location quite far from the sea. Humidity is lower, summers hotter and winters colder that in other wine producing areas in Catalonia. The average annual temperature is 13°C (max 35°C in summer, -5°C in winter) and there are considerable temperature variations between day and night as well. Average annual rainfall is between 500 mm and 600 mm.
Grape Varieties
The traditional local grape varieties are Garnacha and Tempranillo (known locally as Ull de Llebre) for reds and Picapoll for whites, while the new authorised foreign varieties are: Macabeo, Parellada and Chardonnay for whites, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah for reds.
The newer vineyards are planted on trellises (en espaldera) to allow mechanisation of the vineyard activities, at authorised planting densities of between 2,000 and 4,500 vines/ha depending on the terrain. Most of the grape production is for Cava.