Avinyó Petillant 2020

Producer: Avinyó

Varietal: Muscat, Macabeo, Xarel-lo

Region: Penedès, Spain

Up until the late 19th century, the Esteve family of Avinyó subsisted on the growing and selling of cereal crops, legumes, and a little bit of wine, all grown around their traditional horseshoe shaped farmhouse.

When phylloxera crossed the border from France into Spain, the family vineyards and their savings were destroyed. Faced with starting over, Joan Esteve Marcè saw opportunity in hardship and traveled to France in search of phylloxera resistant vines. He returned with new rootstocks immune to the pest. His son, Joan Esteve Nadal, expanded the family’s holdings to four parcels totaling about 40 hectares.  He replanted many of the vineyards with indigenous varietals, grafted to the phylloxera-resistant rootstock.  Today, Avinyó farms only estate-owned vineyards, a rarity among cava and wine producers.

This wine is a vi d’agulla, the Catalan name for "prickly wine", named for its slightly effervescent character. Vibrant and refreshing, it is the traditional summertime go-to of the Penedès region of Catalunya, and it’s perfect for drinking out of a porrón.