Gramona

If you look at the wineries that have significantly shaped the history and development of cava, the name Gramona cannot be ignored. However, the history of this now almost legendary cava house did not begin under this name in 1850. In this founding year, Josep Batlle acquired the "La Plana" plot in the heart of Penedes, laying the foundations for the subsequent success story. Even then, he relied on the indigenous varieties Xarel-Lo and Macabeo, which were later laid down in the regulations for the production of cava. In 1881, his son Pau Batlle founded Celler Batlle, where professional cava production began. When Pilar Batlle married Bartolomeo Gramona at the beginning of the 20th century, the name of the winery also changed. Subsequent generations made the Gramona name famous all over the world with their first-class cavas. And it was during this time that the exemplary cuvées were created that made the house so popular among connoisseurs and enthusiasts. Today, Xaver and Jaume Gramona are the 5th generation to run the estate. 150 hectares now supply the grapes for the cavas, as well as for extremely remarkable still wines. The parcels are largely owned by the estate and are cultivated organically or even according to biodynamic principles. Any missing grapes are purchased from winegrowers who also meet the high standards of Cava Gramona. In contrast to many other houses, Gramona relies on a long maturation period in the bottle, which in turn requires outstanding raw material. For example, the "Imperial Gran Reserva" matures in the bottle for around 3-4 years, the "Ill Lustros Gran Reserva" for 5 years and the homage to the history of the house, the "Celler Batlle Gran Reserva", for as long as 8 years. The showpiece among the cavas is the "Enoteca Brut Gran Reserva" with vintage. Experts like to compare the cavas from Gramona with the best champagnes and consider them to be on a par with them. However, the still wines made from Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc are also impressive. The noble sweet wines, which are produced from frozen grapes in a similar way to ice wine, are a particular specialty. Reason enough to have the name Gramona on your list.