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The region of Bages, in the heart of Catalonia, near the Montserrat mountains, is an area with a long history of wine-making.
The monks from the monastery of Sant Benet de Bages were producing wine as long ago as the 10th century. After the phylloxera pest wiped out most of the Catalan vines in the late 19th century, the industry gradually came back to life with the creation of the Celler Cooperatiu d´Artés, in the early 20th century. The Pla de Bages Designation of Origin was created in 1995 and it groups together twelve wineries from this region, mainly located in Manresa, Artés, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Fonollosa, Salelles and Maians. Bages has a mid-mountain Mediterranean microclimate, with fairly severe winters and scarce rainfall. The ground is uneven and not very rich in nutrients; as a result the vines have a low yield, but the grapes they produce are of an impeccable quality. Another characteristic feature of this area are its vine huts. These dry stone buildings are used to store farm equipment and to provide shelter for the farm labourers, and can be found scattered over the fields in Bages. This designation grows a variety of native grape called picapoll. This grape has small seeds and very tender skin with distinctive freckles. It ripens slowly and the wine made from it is fruity, pale yellow and light. As well as picapoll, the varieties used in the wines are mainly tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, macabeo and chardonnay. The reds and rosés are fruity and aromatic, and the whites are light and refined. In the Flequer valley, near the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac nature reserve, there is a 5-kilometre route which show how the rabassaires –farm labourers with a contract with the landowner allowing them to grow grapes –transformed the territory in order to plant the grapevines. Normally the vats used to make the wine were inside the houses, but here they were built into the mountains. The route includes a visit to the exhibition on this subject at the information centre at the nature reserve. Many of the vineyards in the area offer guided visits through their facilities including the vineyards of Abadal, Solergibert, and Celler Cooperatiu d’Artés, and the Fargas-Fargas vineyard, a farm labourer’s house dedicated to the cultivation of grapevines, where visitors can learn how the grapes are grown using environmentally-friendly methods. Ageing :For wines undergoing ageing by a combined process: wood and bottle. Ageing shall last at least two years, of which a minimum six-month period in wood container with a maximum capacity of 1,000 litres. |
