Grape Varieties

Xarel·lo, pronounced roughly "sha-REL-lo," is the brand's flagship grape. This white variety has a thick skin, retains plenty of acidity even in warm years, and produces wine with structure and weight. That's precisely why Xarel·lo can withstand long lees aging without turning flabby or tired.

Corpinnat doesn't allow just any blend. Under the brand's rules, at least 90 percent of the grapes must come from historic varieties: Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada, Malvasía (Subirat Parent), Garnacha tinta, Monastrell, Sumoll and Xarel·lo vermell, a variant with reddish berries. Up to ten percent may come from approved varieties, namely Malvasía de Sitges, Trepat, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Macabeu brings fruit and floral aromas, Parellada contributes lightness and delicate citrus notes, especially from higher, cooler sites. Each variety ripens at a different time, so the harvest stretches over weeks and each plot must be assessed individually. Together with Xarel·lo, they form the region's classic trio. Clàssic Penedès, the Penedès's other sparkling wine with mandatory organic farming, also names these three as its foundation.

Red varieties are the exception. Garnacha, Monastrell and Sumoll have grown in the Penedès for a long time, while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are later additions from outside the region. Red grapes can produce a rosé or add body to a white blend, but they remain in the background. The fact that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are permitted at all shows how pragmatic the brand is about that ten-percent limit.

The brand aims to keep the wine firmly rooted in the Penedès. Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada have grown here for generations, and according to Corpinnat, the houses work with long-term contracts for grapes from their growers. Anyone cultivating old varieties needs partners who farm their vineyards under the same rules, year after year.