Penedès

Penedès (Catalan pronunciation: [pənəˈðɛs]) is a natural and historical region of Catalonia. It is located in the south of the Principality of Catalonia between the pre-coastal mountain range (Serralada Pre-litoral) and the Mediterranean Sea. The comarcal division of the Generalitat de Catalunya in 1936 and 1987, divided Penedès into three administrative comarques: Alt Penedès, Baix Penedès and Garraf, and their capitals are Vilafranca del Penedès, el Vendrell and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

From the historical point of view, Penedès was since the start of the ninth century a border region inside the

Vegueria

of Vilafranca including all Penedès and most of Anoia as the sots-vegueria of Igualada.

The provincial division of 1833 divided the region between the provinces of Barcelona, which includes Alt Penedès and Garraf, and the province of Tarragona, which includes Baix Penedès.^[1]

Wine production

Penedès is a wine-producing region having a Spanish

Rioja, it is also one of the most ancient viticultural areas in Europe. Perhaps better-known for its Cava production, a sparkling wine which has had its own Denominació d'Origen since 1986, white grape

varieties predominate, although the region also produces some highly regarded, oak-aged reds.