Pares Balta Mas Petit 2009

Winery: Pares Balta

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

By far and away the most recognized and widely grown red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon. First cultivated in the 18th century in France, this wonderful cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has long since been the most important varietal for red wines across the globe. Now grown everywhere from its native France to the furthest reaches of the New World, Cabernet Sauvignon is adored and prized by wineries for its hardiness and resistance to rot, as well as its large and sharp flavors and wonderful capability for fine aging Indeed, many of the finest wines of history and the modern age would be simply unimaginable without Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with the famed wineries of Bordeaux and other important regions using it as the primary grape in their oak aged produce. High tannin levels, acidity and powerful flavors are the characteristics most commonly associated with this varietal, however, when blended and slowly aged, it is capable of a world of flavors and aromas unmatched by any other grape.

Region: Cataluna

With sixty thousand hectares of prime land under vine, and over two hundred bodegas and wineries operating there, the Spanish region of Catalunya is a vitally important centre for Spanish wine production and viticulture. It seems this has been the case for several thousand years, and recent archaeological findings have proven that Catalunya has a wine history which pre-dates Roman Spain by a considerable margin, making it one of the oldest wine regions in the world. Catalan wines today are dominated by the ever popular sparkling Cava wines, made in the methode champenois, and drank across the globe as a fine replacement for the more expensive Champagne wines. However, the excellent climatic conditions and terroir of Catalunya means that the bodegas of the region can also produce excellent still red and white wines, made from the wide range of grape varietals which thrive there.

Country: Spain

For over two thousand years, Spain has been responsible for much of Europe's wine production, making the very best of native grape varietals, and more recently experimenting with and perfecting wines made from imported grapes. Of course, the region of La Rioja is renowned world-wide for the quality and characteristics of its wines, which benefit greatly from the warm, dry continental climate of the area, and the fertile soils of the Ebro river basin. However, there is far more to Spanish produce than the complex, aromatic and earthy red wine of this region, as a result of the vast range of wine making traditions and practices, and terrains and climatic conditions found across the country. The region Castilla y Leon produces some of Europe's finest white wines, and the sparkling wines of Cava and the sherries of Jerez are firm favorites for wine lovers around the world.