- That the Penedès is an exceptional land for producing quality sparkling wines following the guidelines of demanding viticulture, provided that nature supplies enough rainfall for the grapes to ripen properly.
- That the Penedès is one of the few wine regions of the Iberian Peninsula where, until now, dry-farmed viticulture has been practised, and that this is now under threat.
- That in 1887 phylloxera reached the Penedès with devastating effects, but this crisis marked the beginning of the modernisation of viticulture. With the replacement of the black grape varieties predominant at the time by white grape varieties (Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada), the most prosperous era of Penedès winegrowing began, with the learning and specialisation in the production of great sparkling wines that today enjoy international recognition.
- That climate change, which many Penedès winegrowers already sensed at the end of the last century, has made itself forcefully felt in recent years. In spring 2020, abnormally heavy rains prevented the vines from being properly protected and a large part of the harvest was lost, especially organic grapes, which require greater effort. This situation of excess water gave way to an extremely dry autumn, which marked the beginning of the extreme drought in Catalonia that has struck the Penedès with great virulence.
- That the data indicate that average temperatures will continue to rise, that it will rain less and worse, and that episodes of extreme drought will recur. But this cannot stop us from working hard, with the complicity and support of the competent bodies, to adapt as soon as possible to the new climate reality.
- That complex times lie ahead for Penedès viticulture. Many hectares of vineyard will be grubbed up, some of which will probably not be replanted. Everything will depend on the real commitment of winegrowers and on adapting CAP rules to the anomalous situations suffered by some territories. During this long and costly process, which could last up to four years in the most optimistic scenario from grubbing up the vineyard to returning to grape production, maximum institutional support (swiftly provided) at all levels will be essential so that winegrowers can adapt their vineyards to the new and critical climate conditions.
- At CORPINNAT we maintain that the sector must not fall into paralysing catastrophism and that we must begin working collectively to adapt new vineyard plantings with the aim of making better use of rainwater and, simultaneously, to have irrigation available as soon as possible so that the vines can survive periods of extreme drought and we can continue producing quality sparkling wines.
- In the Penedès we want to continue producing quality sparkling wines, always within an environmentally and socially sustainable framework. We have been doing so for more than 150 years, and we do not want to stop. It's crystal clear!
CORPINNAT manifesto in the context of extreme drought
February 14, 2024
In the face of an unprecedented drought that threatens the vineyards and challenges the Penedès wine sector, the wineries that make up the CORPINNAT Association of Winegrowers and Producers (AVEC) declare:
CORPINNAT is an EU collective mark registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office on 7 December 2017. It arose from a long period of reflection and aims to enhance the value of a territory and a production philosophy based on quality and excellence, under one of the most demanding sparkling wine regulations in the world. The EU collective mark is a legal framework widely used in the wine sector, with more than 70 registered marks across Europe today.
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, 13 February 2024
