Touring Parés Baltà

After visiting Luxembourg to judge at the Concours Mondial, I headed to Barcelona for a few days with my brother, who is currently studying in Brussels, Belgium.

Our three days were filled with plenty of coffee, a little beer, some incredible food and a lot of walking, but I knew that I would be upset with myself if I didn’t see a winery, so I arranged a visit to Parés Baltà. Located in the heart of Penedès, Parés Baltà is a family-owned premium wine house that is known for its range of organically-farmed cavas and table wines.

As soon as we got to Parés Baltà, we were whisked away by our host, Marc Picon, to visit the estate vineyards. From an almost rosé-like syrah to xare-lo, pinot noir and gewürztraminer, nothing is better than tasting single vineyard wines in the vineyard of origin.

The various Parés Baltà vineyards range from about 200 to 800 metres above sea level and some plots are in located in Parc Natural del Garraf, one of Spain's national parks. These plots are grandfathered into the park, so while the winery cannot expand the vineyards, they truly are stewards of the soil. This fits well with Parés Baltà, as they have been an organic winery since 2004 and have practiced sustainable farming for years. In fact, they are essentially bio-dynamic, but are not certified, and most likely won’t seek it.

The vineyards in the national park are quite small and an investment to manage, but they add to the stunning scenery in the park. The winery uses sheep to control undergrowth in the vineyards (I asked, they move the sheep along at a good clip to keep them from eating too many grapes) and they are a valuable source of fertilizer. The winery also maintains a large colony of bees in the park to assist with the pollination.

Parés Baltà produces almost 30 wines from 16 different varietals, although most are extremely limited wines and may not be made every year. This is quite a lot for any winery, but smaller quantities and two winemakers allow them to produce so many wines and showcase their grapes and vineyard sites. Canada will probably not see more than a handful of their wines, but they are worth seeking out, especially their delicious sparkling Cava.

Our host Marc Picon was the perfect guide to the region. After touring the vineyards, we had a delicious lunch at Cal Xim of Pa amb tomàquet, which is bread slices rubbed with tomato, olive oil and garlic. We also enjoyed the best pork belly I have ever eaten.

I have had the pleasure of reviewing several Parés Baltà wines over recent years. I hope that we will see more of them in the Canadian market and that you will have a chance to taste them, and hopefully, enjoy Parés Baltà wines as much as I have.