The wine that I’d like to present to you today
is from the Conca de Barberà region, an area of the Tarragona province in the
south of Catalonia. It is also a Denominació d’Origen (Designation of Origin)
with a long history relating to the vineyards and winemaking. The only time
when winemaking ceased was during a period during the Middle Ages when it was
conquered and occupied by the Saracens. Fortunately, at the Early Middle Ages the cultivation of vines
slowly recovered as the Catalans started to recapture their lands. In this area
vine growing was closely linked to two religious orders: the Cistercians, at
the abbey of Poblet, and the Templers, warrior-monks who had settled in the
Conca Barberà. These monks helped in the reintroduction of viticulture and they
explained to the farmers how to cultivate and look after the vineyards in order
to have good wines. All this knowledge was passed on from generation to
generation until the present day.
Vine growing increased progressively
in the region
and before the arrival of phylloxera plague the area was a great exporter of
wine, especially to Northern Europe and America. Unfortunately Phylloxera
arrived at the beginning of the XIXth century. In spite of this plague, the
enthusiasm and knowledge of the farmers wasn’t affected and they decided to
regain the vineyards, using all that they learned from previous generations.
They joined forces and continued to cultivate vines.
Conca de Barberà was a pioneer in Spain of the
co-operative system of wine production; it was in this area in 1894 where the
farmers of Barberà de la Conca started the replanting of vineyards and founded
the first co-op, linked to viticulture and the wine production.
