Carignan “Terres Negres” Emporda D.O. 2016

The Espelt winery is surrounded by mountains in the Empordà region of Spain, with beautiful sea views that change with the seasons. A modern and high-tech wine cellar located next to a traditional farmhouse. Both buildings convey the philosophy of the winery. The wine cellar reflects the desire for the modern and the new, while the farmhouse preserves the viticulture traditions of the region, which Louis Espelt fully respects when growing his grapes. The combination of tradition and modernity is an unshakable principle that the next two generations of the family, represented by Damia and Anna, adhere to in their work.

Carinena (Carignan) prefers warm, dry climates when the grape can express intensive tannins, acidity and color. Carinena is only rarely made as a varietal red wine, but the best examples can exhibit notes of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice and spicy accents.

Empordà is a DO in Catalonia, in the far north-eastern corner of Spain. On the border with France, it lies south of the French Roussillon region, with which it shares a similar winemaking heritage.   Winemaking in Empordà dates back to the 6th Century BC and throughout the Middle Ages, vineyards tended by monks and nuns from nearby monasteries and abbeys flourished. By the late 19th Century, however, phylloxera dealt a hefty blow, and many of the affected terraced vineyards have never been replanted.   Empordà's climate is decidedly Mediterranean, which is not surprising, given that the sea hugs its eastern shores. However, the strong Tramontana wind originating from the Pyrenees mountain range in the north has a moderating effect on local growing conditions and prevents disease and frosts.   Potential damage from the wind, and the resulting stress, however, is a threat to exposed vines. The Tramontana phenomenon gave rise to the designation's one time tagline, "Wines of the Wind".   Traditionally, Empordà specialized in the production of Garnatxa.But nowadays rosé (rosado) wines based on Carinena (Carignan) and Garnacha are also a local mainstay and have earned a solid reputation. White wines are made mostly from Viura (Macabeo) and Garnacha Blanca and are blended or vinified varietally, a more modern approach.    However, as in many regions of the country, Empordà has seen the need to modernize its winemaking equipment and styles. A number of small bodegas also offer innovative and fresh wine styles, most notably young reds similar to those from neighboring Roussillon as well as some in a style akin to Beaujolais Nouveau.

In Catalonia, DO status was first created in 1999, and it became the first regional production area in Spain, which united all vineyards not included in any of the 11 existing DOs at that time. The capital of Catalonia is Barcelona, ​​the second largest city in Spain with one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. Its seaside location has certainly contributed to the development of local winemaking. Catalonia has a wide variety of winemaking traditions. It is believed that the skills of viticulture were first introduced by the Phoenicians and Greeks around 400 BC. e. The Romans then expanded viticulture and the industry flourished until the Moorish occupation. Then the vineyards were abandoned or given for other purposes. Later Christians revived viticulture in the territories adjacent to the monasteries. Until the end of the 18th century, wine and spirits were among the most important exports in the region. Since then, Catalonia has established itself as a dynamically developing wine region.