Cataluña (Catalunya)

DO located in the Catalonia region in north-eastern Spain, south-west of Barcelona. The name Bages is derived from the ancient Roman town of Bacassis, which was named after Bacchus, the god of wine. To the south of Pla del Bages lies the DO Penedès. The vineyard area totals 500 hectares on limestone-rich and alluvial soils at an altitude of 200 to 500 metres above sea level, the vineyards are located in the vicinity of the town of Manresa in the vallies of the Llobregat river and its tributaries. The climate is Mediterranean, with warm summer nights, hot autumns and quite a lot of rainfall. The most widely-planted grape varieties are local varieties such as the white Macabeo and Picapoll as well as the red varieties Garnacha, Sumoll and Tempranillo. There are efforts to encourage the planting of French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. Most of the grapes are used to produce sparkling cava. Young white wines (Jovenes) are also produced in large quantities.