page_title: Catalan wine
section_title: Pla de Bages
hierarchical_section_title: Catalan wine / Wine regions / Pla de Bages
caption_attribution_description: Mapa comarcal de Catalunya. Per Hansen
context_page_description: Catalan wines are those that are produced in the wine region of Catalonia. Occasionally, the appellation is applied to some French wine made in the Catalan region of Roussillon also known as Northern Catalonia or the Pays catalans. The city of Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and despite not being in a wine region it is the focal point of the Catalan wine industry: a primary consumer market, its port provides export functions and a source of financial resources and investment.
  The area has a long winemaking tradition and was the birthplace of the sparkling wine Cava, invented in the early 1870s in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia by Josep Raventos of Codorníu Winery. At the turn of the 20th century, the Catalan wine industry was at the forefront of Spain's emergence as a world leader in quality wine production, being the first Spanish wine region to adopt the use of stainless steel fermentation tanks. The area is also an important cork production region, with output aimed primarily at the region's Cava houses. Today Catalonia is the second largest producer of wine in Spain, producing over 5.5 million hectolitres.
context_section_description: The Pla de Bages DOP is located northwest of Barcelona, growing many of the same varieties as the nearby Penedès region but with more emphasis on international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
caption: Map of Catalonia
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