D.O. Pla del Bages

DO area (Bages plain) in the corner of northeastern Spain southwest of Barcelona in the region of Catalonia. The name Bages is derived from the ancient Roman city of Bacassis, named after the god Bacchus. In the south is the DO area of Penedès. A local speciality are the wine press houses or vats (lagares) with earthenware tiles on the inside, which were used especially in the 19th century for the rapid processing of the harvested grapes, as well as stone huts (barracas), in which guards stayed before and during the grape harvest to keep flocks of birds, wild boars and thieves away.

The vineyards cover 550 hectares of clay, sand and calcareous alluvial soil at an altitude of 200 to 500 metres above sea level. They are located around the town of Manresa in 26 municipalities in the valleys of the Riu Llobregat and its tributary the Riu Cardener. The climate is Mediterranean, with mild summer nights, hot autumns and relatively low rainfall. The most common white wine varieties are Macabeo, Picapoll Blanco, Parellada, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay, while the most common red wine varieties are Garnacha Tinta, Sumoll, Ull de Llebre(Tempranillo), Malbec(Cot), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot.