Spain · Penedès

Josep Masachs

Fourth-largest Cava producer by volume, farming 43 hectares in El Penedès entirely without synthetic chemicals since the family's founding in 1920.

The producer

Josep Masachs is a Catalan sparkling wine estate based at the Monsarra facility in Torrelles de Foix, about 40 kilometres south of Barcelona. The family planted its first vines in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1920, and the fourth generation is now entering an operation that produces between 208,000 and 240,000 cases of Cava each year, placing it fourth in the entire DO by volume. All 43 hectares of estate vines are planted with the three classic Cava varieties: Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada. Every bottle is made by the traditional method, with secondary fermentation in bottle producing the mousse, and the range holds organic and vegan certification throughout.

The scale and the farming sit side by side without contradiction. The cellar runs on 100 percent renewable electricity, recycling every by-product of production, and the vineyards are managed with organic compost and cultivation practices designed to maintain biodiversity. Eighty-five percent of production stays in Spain, where Cava is a daily wine rather than a celebration bottle. The Emily Blanc de Blancs, an even blend of all three estate varieties, is where most buyers should begin.

Known for

Traditional method Cava from three classic Penedès varieties, organic and vegan certified, produced at fourth-largest appellation scale.

Notable facts

The story

Running Out of Room

In 1985 the Masachs family ran out of room. The winery that Josep Masachs Llorach had built from a vineyard holding in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1920 had grown steadily through six decades, but the original facility could not process what demand now required. The family acquired land at the Monsarra estate in Torrelles de Foix, about 15 kilometres south of Vilafranca, and built a new winery from the ground up. Production moved to Monsarra that same year. The original Vilafranca address became history; the Monsarra estate became the permanent home of everything the family had accumulated since 1920. Four decades later, the fourth generation entered the business in the same building their grandparents commissioned, farming the same three varieties on organic soil and running the cellar on entirely renewable electricity.

From the atlas

Josep Masachs

At A Glance

The Producer

Josep Masachs is a Catalan sparkling wine estate that ranks fourth in the whole of DO Cava by volume, yet farms its 43 hectares entirely without synthetic chemicals. The family planted its first vines in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1920. A century later, the fourth generation is entering the business at the Monsarra estate in Torrelles de Foix, about 40 kilometres south of Barcelona. The three bottles in the range are all Cava: traditional method sparkling wine made from Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada, the grapes that define the appellation.

The scale is real. Between 208,000 and 240,000 cases leave Monsarra each year, 85 percent of them sold within Spain. Cava is a domestic product first, and Josep Masachs is one of the producers who keeps it that way.

Place

El Penedès sits in the interior of Catalonia, on a broad plateau of limestone and clay between the Garraf massif and the pre-coastal range. The altitude moderates what would otherwise be a hot, dry Mediterranean climate: cooler nights preserve the natural acidity in the grapes, which matters for a sparkling wine that depends on freshness to work in the glass.

The DO Cava appellation does not map onto a single village or subzone in the way a Burgundy village appellation does. It is a method designation as much as a geographic one: wine labelled Cava must be made by secondary fermentation in bottle, in the manner of Champagne, from approved varieties grown in registered vineyards. Josep Masachs holds registered vineyard land in El Penedès and produces its entire range at the Monsarra estate in Torrelles de Foix, the facility built in 1985 to handle increasing production.

Soil And Site

The soils across the Monsarra estate are varied. No single soil type defines the vineyard. The range in soil character across the 43 hectares gives the three grape varieties different growing conditions: Macabeo and Parellada tend to perform well across the limestone-influenced plots of the plateau, while Xarel·lo tolerates a wider range of conditions and provides the structural backbone of the blends. Organic compost replaces synthetic fertiliser; cultivation practices are designed to promote biodiversity and maintain soil health across the estate.

Story

Josep Masachs Llorach planted vines in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1920. The family made wine through the mid-twentieth century at the original site, growing steadily as Cava gained recognition as Spain's answer to traditional method sparkling wine from France. By the early 1980s the original facility could no longer absorb demand. In 1985 the family built a new winery at the Monsarra estate in Torrelles de Foix, a move that converted a family vineyard operation into one of the larger Cava producers in the appellation.

The ecological turn came later. The estate moved away from synthetic chemicals, converted its electricity supply entirely to renewable sources, and began recycling 100 percent of wine by-products and dry matter. The renewable energy commitment reduced the winery's carbon footprint by 20 percent. These were not marketing decisions alone: the family carries organic and vegan certification, which requires verified third-party compliance, not only internal practice. The fourth generation is now joining an operation that produces at scale and farms without compromise.

Vineyards And Cellar

All 43 hectares are planted with the three classic Cava varieties. Macabeo brings freshness and forward fruit to the blend, giving the wine its initial aromatic openness. Xarel·lo is the structural grape: it adds body, weight, and a savouriness that is particular to Penedès-grown sparkling wine. Parellada, often grown at slightly higher elevations where temperatures drop further at night, contributes aromatic lift and a lighter, more delicate texture. Together the three varieties form a blend calibrated for mousse, freshness, and drinkability.

No synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilisers are used. Organic compost goes back into the soil. In the cellar, all Cava is made by the traditional method: base wines are blended, bottled with a small addition of sugar and yeast, and sealed. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, producing the carbon dioxide that forms the mousse. The bottles are then aged on the lees before disgorgement and final dosage.

Wines

The Josep Masachs range runs across three tiers. The Emily Blanc de Blancs is the entry-level Cava: 33 percent Macabeo, 33 percent Xarel·lo, and 34 percent Parellada in an even, measured blend. It is white, dry, and traditional method. The Josep Masachs line sits above Emily in the range and carries the estate name directly; the Dignitat line represents the upper tier. All three are organic and vegan certified, all are produced by the traditional method, and all draw on the same three estate-grown varieties.

The Emily Blanc de Blancs is the most documented bottle in the range, with a precise varietal composition. The Josep Masachs and Dignitat tiers follow the same Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada architecture but express the grapes with longer lees contact and more selective fruit handling, producing wines with greater weight and ageing potential in the glass. The Xarel·lo component gives all three levels a character specific to Penedès: a mild almond note, a savoury edge, and a body that distinguishes them from sparkling wines made from Chardonnay or Pinot-based blends.

In The Glass

The Emily Blanc de Blancs opens with white blossom, ripe pear, and a faint citrus note from the Macabeo and Parellada components. The Xarel·lo brings in a subtle almond and herb edge, and the mousse is steady rather than aggressive, fine-bubbled and persistent. In the mouth the wine is dry, with a clean acid line and a mid-palate weight that is more substantial than the light fizz of cheaper Cava. The finish is short to medium, clean, and citrus-edged.

Across the range, wines produced with longer lees contact gain a toasted bread quality and a creamier texture on the mid-palate. The Xarel·lo backbone holds through all tiers: the savoury, slightly nutty character that Penedès wine drinkers recognise as specific to this corner of Catalonia, and that distinguishes Cava grown here from sparkling wine made further inland or in other regions of Spain.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Emily Blanc de Blancs. It is one-third each of the three Cava grapes, made by the traditional method, certified organic and vegan, and priced as an everyday sparkling wine rather than a special occasion one. In the glass it is dry and fresh, with a light pear and citrus character, a steady mousse, and the mild savoury note that Xarel·lo always brings to Penedès blends. It answers the basic question a curious buyer needs answered first: what does traditional method Cava from Penedès actually taste like when it is farmed with care and made without shortcuts.

Anecdote

In 1985 the Masachs family ran out of room. The winery that Josep Masachs Llorach had built from a vineyard holding in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1920 had grown steadily through six decades, but the original facility could not process what the market now required. The family acquired land at the Monsarra estate in Torrelles de Foix, about 15 kilometres south of Vilafranca, and built a new winery from the ground up. Production moved to Monsarra that same year. The original Vilafranca address became history; the Monsarra estate became the permanent home of everything the family had accumulated since 1920. Four decades later, the fourth generation entered the business in the same building their grandparents commissioned, farming the same three varieties on organic soil and running the cellar on entirely renewable electricity.

Final Word

Josep Masachs is a serious Catalan sparkling wine estate operating at genuine scale while farming without synthetic chemicals. The Emily Blanc de Blancs is the right bottle to open first: clear, honest, and specific to the place.

Sources

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