Spain · Penedès

Perelada

Family owned Empordà producer with five vineyards, Grenache and Carignan, and single vineyard wines shaped by slate, gravel and clay loam.

The producer

Perelada is a family owned producer in northern Empordà, with five vineyards covering about 138 hectares. Grenache and Carignan lead the plantings. Its vinos de finca are single vineyard wines tied to distinct soils, including slate at Garbet, gravel at La Garriga and clay loam at Malaveïna. Delfí Sanahuja is the winemaker, and the cellar uses concrete eggs, stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Perelada also has Cava activity associated with an additional winery in Vilafranca del Penedès.

Known for

Empordà single vineyard reds

Notable facts

The story

Grapes Enter From The Roof

At Perelada's hillside winery, grapes enter the building on the roof. From there they move downward, are pressed and vinified by gravity alone. The two tier layout reduces the need for mechanical energy, and the building uses 84% recycled materials. Concrete eggs, stainless steel tanks and oak barrels provide several cellar vessels, with some wines aged in the eggs and others in smaller barrels. Smaller tanks also allow individual parcels to be microvinified before blending. The facility can handle 2,700,000 kilograms of grapes and produce about 1,900,000 litres of wine and 2,240,000 bottles.

From the atlas

Perelada

Wine has been made at Castillo de Perelada since the Middle Ages, among Empordà vineyards with contrasting soils.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
RegionNorthern Empordà
Family leadJavier Suqué Mateu leads the third generation
Core red grapesGrenache and Carignan
Named reds5 Finques Reserva, Finca Malaveïna, Aires de Garbet Castillo de Perelada
Single estate rangeVinos de finca shaped by distinct vineyard soils
Additional activityCava winery in Vilafranca del Penedès

The Producer

Perelada owns five vineyards in northern Empordà, covering around 138 hectares in total. Grenache and Carignan are the main focus across the holdings. Delfí Sanahuja is the winemaker, and smaller fermentation tanks allow individual parcels to be microvinified before blending.

The cellar uses concrete eggs, stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Perelada also has Cava activity associated with an additional winery in Vilafranca del Penedès.

Place

The vineyards run between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, across slate, sand, fluvial sediment and gravel. The Tramontane wind is a force in northern Empordà, while the soils give each estate a different physical setting.

Perelada presents its vinos de finca as single vineyard wines marked by the estate where they are born. Garbet is associated with slate, La Garriga with gravel and Malaveïna with clay loam. At Pont de Molins, 38 hectares lie on flat clayey soil with low silt content. Its vines were described as between 15 and 20 years old and include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Chardonnay and Syrah.

Story

Miguel Mateu bought the castle estate at Perelada in 1923 with the aim of reviving its wine producing tradition. Perelada later helped establish DO Empordà in the 1960s, when the denomination was being created through local work and skill.

The family now works through its third generation, led by Javier Suqué Mateu. New vineyard planting and purchases have expanded the estate, while a larger technical team supports the wines made from those holdings.

Wines

The Empordà red range includes 5 Finques Reserva 2020, Finca Malaveïna 2022 and Aires de Garbet Castillo de Perelada 2020. The named finca wines belong to Perelada's single vineyard range, where soil is part of the bottle's definition.

5 Finques Reserva receives 12 months in oak, divided between 42% Allier French oak and 58% American oak. Aires de Garbet receives 15 months in second use, 300 litre Bordeaux format barrels made from Tronçais French oak, followed by bottle ageing. Finca Malaveïna has its own separate treatment within the range.

In The Glass

5 Finques Reserva is fresh, balanced and well shaped in the mouth, with plentiful but well integrated tannins. Its aromas combine red fruit and spice with balsamic notes and a toasted background.

Finca Malaveïna is round, fleshy and firmly built, with fresh acidity and rounded tannins that give a creamy sensation. Black fruit carries the aroma, with spicy and toasted notes behind it.

Aires de Garbet brings aromatic herbs, red fruit and a balsamic background. The palate is fresh, intense and balanced, with mature, enveloping tannins and a silky sensation.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Finca Malaveïna. Merlot leads the blend, joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Garnatxa Negre. The wine is raised in new Bordeaux barrels of Allier French oak and then aged in bottle. The label places a named finca beside a clear Bordeaux variety profile.

Final Word

Perelada makes Empordà reds through individual parcel fermentation and single vineyard bottling, with Garbet, La Garriga and Malaveïna tied to different soils.

Sources

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