Costa Brava

The Costa Brava has a wine tradition since the 6th century BC, in the Emporda.

What comes to mind when we say Costa Brava? Holidays, cypress trees, blue sea, white beaches, sailing boats...? Most people don't immediately think of wine. Or maybe they do, but then as in: a refreshing glass of white wine on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Yet, one of Spain's oldest wine regions is located on the Costa Brava.

Wine has been grown in northern Catalonia since at least the sixth century BC. The Greeks settled in Catalonia at that time and brought viticulture from the East. Incidentally, the important Greek colony of Empuries gave the entire region its name: Emporda. During the Middle Ages, monasteries played a major role in viticulture.

The DO Emporda consists of two regions: the northern region, the "High" Emporda, extends from the French border to Figueres. The southern region, the "Lower" Emporda, lies between Torroella de Montgri and Begur. The DO boasts nearly 500 wine producers, making it by no means the smallest appellation in Spain.

It's a region with a diverse soil, from alluvial to rocky, with silica or limestone, to even volcanic. The cold, dry wind from over the Pyrenees, the Tramontana, can quickly drop temperatures but usually heralds fine weather. And, of course, there's the Mediterranean Sea. All three aspects have a significant influence on the flavor of Emporda wines. Besides the traditional white and red cariñena and garnatcha, macabeu, and muscatel, many other grape varieties are grown here. Combined with the differences in soil type, this results in an enormous diversity of wines to discover.

You can begin your exploration at Paradisi, with the wines of the Empordalia cooperative, which brings together several small wine producers with a long tradition.