Alella (wine region)
Alella is one of the smaller wine-growing regions in Spain . The area under cultivation for wine is around 560 hectares and the number of winemakers is 92. In 2005, production was 678,000 liters. The wine-growing region extends in Catalonia above Barcelona from Montgat along the coast to Mataró and in the hinterland includes the communities of Martorelles and La Roca del Vallès . The area is named after the municipality of Alella .
Characterized by the mostly urban environment of the cultivation areas, the location close to Catalonia's capital makes it difficult for winemakers to open up additional vineyards for viticulture. Agricultural land can hardly be obtained at reasonable prices, since almost every free parcel is already building land or land that is expected to be built.
Climatically, this area can be described as a strongly Mediterranean-influenced microclimate , with hot, dry summers and mild winters. The soils, dark and very clayey in the mountain regions, change to almost white, also known as "sauló", stony soils in the Coastal region. These light soils have the good property of storing large amounts of solar energy, which in turn has a significant influence on the state of ripeness and the sugar concentration of the grape varieties grown there .
Grape varieties
The following grape varieties are mainly grown:
- White
Chenin Blanc , Garnacha Blanca , Macabeo , Malvasia , Parellada , Pansa Blanca , Picapoll , Sauvignon Blanc and Xarel-lo . The Pansa Blanca grape variety is a Xarel-lo variety.
- red
Garnacha Tinta , Merlot , Pansa Vermella , Pinot Noir , Syrah and Ull de Llebre
literature
- John Radford: The New Spain. A complete guide to contemporary Spanish Wine. Mitchell Beazley, London 1998, ISBN 1-85732-254-1 .
- Jan Read: Spain's Wines 2005/06. 7th, revised, updated edition. Hallwag im Gräfe und Unzer Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-7742-6962-9 .
- Jeremy Watson: The new & classical Wines of Spain. Montagud Editores, Barcelona 2002, ISBN 84-7212-087-2 .
