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WINES
Outline
history of wine growing in Costabrava.
Archaeological findings show that wine was grown in this region 500
years BC. The name of the territory of Emporda which comes from the name of the country's most important Greek colony,
Empuries. The Greeks imported the vineyards and later the Romans implanted them. The Church played an importantrole in preservation
of the wine making tradition, as many monasteries had agricultural lands attached to them.
In the beginning of the 12th
century, at the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, Ramon Pere de Novas dictated rules concerning the vineyards and the making
of wine. Thus the first treaty on oenology appeared in Catalonia in 1130. It was during the 18th century that the wine was
most important and the cork industry and trade began. It was the first Catalan territory to be attacked by the phylloxera
and, after having recovered itself, the cooperativism became important.
The zone of the Emporda-Costa Brava Appellation
of Origin is located in the north eastern part of Catalonia, from the Pyrenees, on the border with France, to the sea
at the Costa Brava. It is a wide plain located on the last part of the Pyrenean mountain range, the Alberes mountains.
The
Mediterranean climate is temperate during the summer and mild in the winter.Here blows the tramuntana(a strong wind from the
north) or the sea breezes in the summer. The average annual temperature is 16ºC and the rainfall is 500-600 mm.
The vineyards
in Emporda-Costa Brava occupy a surface of 5,800 ha on the plain of Alt Emporda. They grow on loose ground, with good drainage
and low fertility. The soil is more calcareous in the north of the area than in the rest. In the maintains the soil
is mostly granitic while the soil on the plain is alluvial.
The varieties of grapes grown here are:
White: white Garnatxa, Macabeu, Xarello and Chardonnay,
Red : Carinyena, red Garnatxa (Lledoner), Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon
and Merlot.
The Appellation of Origin Emporda-Costa Brava was approved in 1975.
It produces
100,000 hl. The wines from Emporda-Costa Brava are wines with a lot of personality, their characteristics being:
White
wines: They are robust. Between 11 and 13.5 % vol.
Rose wines: They have an intense and
lively cherry colour, fresh, fruity and slightly acid. Of delicate aroma and great personality. Between 11.5 and 14 % vol.
Red wines: They are light, balanced in their sourness and they have a characteristic bouquet. Between
11.5 and 14 % vol. The aged red wines have to age for at least two years, one of these in oak casks.
Strong, old wines
(vinos generosos): Mixed wines, based on Garnatxa and old, mellow wines. Typical in the zone is the Emporda Novell (young
wine) and the sweet dessert wines called "garnatxas", which hold between 15 and 16 % vol. Sparkling wines are also produced
here.
Gastronomy: The white wines and rose accompany fish and rice dishes very well. The red wines
go well with meat and the "garnatxas" with desserts.
Wines cellars from Emporda-Costa Brava
CONSELL REGULADOR DE LA RELACIO
D' EMPRESES VITIVINICOLE
DEMONINACIO D'ORIGEN
INSCRITES EN EL REGISTRE CELLERS
EMPORDA-COSTABRAVA
D'ELABORACIO D'AQUEST CONSELL
REGULADOR
** ELABORADOR | | EMBOTELLATS [--] VENDA
AL DETALL
** | | [--] COOPERATIVA AGRICOLA SANT CLIMENT SESCEBES
C/DEL SOL s/n Tel. 972 563370
17751 SANT CLIMENT SESCEBES
** | | [--] MARTI FABRA CARRERAS
Barri de Vic 26 Tel.972
563011
17751 SANT CLIMENT SESCEBES
** | | [--] ALBERT FITA ALEGRE
Celler Mas Fita Tel
972 502041
17780 MASARAC
** [--] COOPERATIVA AGRICOLA MASARACH
Barri Priorat , s/n
17763 MASARAC
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