Celler Pardas Hermós Brut Nature

Since 2016, the year it was founded, Celler Pardas has been part of a very old tradition. This winery, located in the Penedès region, has been making still wines for almost a decade, a true reflection of the region. In this area of the Upper Penedès, south of Barcelona (in northeastern Spain), sparkling wine production is more of an obligation than a choice. And that’s why they didn't last long without creating their own sparkling wine. Two years later, in 2018, Pardas Hermós Brut Nature was born, the first bubbles from Celler Pardas.

From the beginning Pardas Hermós Brut Nature has appeared under the Corpinnat brand, a new collective of winemakers who have been fighting to maintain and recognise the quality of sparkling wines made in the Penedès since 2017. Since then, these producers (the six founders expanded to the current eleven) have distanced themselves from other denominations in the area, always defending basic principles like manual harvesting, winemaking on the estate itself, long aging and totally organic processes. All these requirements are met at Celler Pardas. The grapes used to make Pardas Hermós Brut Nature are grown in three vineyards (Viña el Mus, Viña l'Agustina and Viña el Serrat del Titet), all of them organically cultivated, without herbicides or chemicals. The soil is also not tilled and spontaneous vegetation covers are a must in the vegetative cycle of these plots. The winemaking process also takes place in-house, with a manual harvest (which is particularly selective) that will be carried out in the estate’s cellars.

Pardas Hermós Brut Nature is a coupage of Sumoll and Xarel-lo, two native and very important varieties in the area. Both, especially the Sumoll, are the basis for most still wines, but take more of a back seat in sparkling wines. Now at Celler Pardas they want to turn the tables, giving a central role to this red variety which is so infrequently used for sparkling wines, with their Pardas Hermós Brut Nature.

The Pardas Hermós Brut Nature production process begins with the direct pressing of the grapes. The resulting must is then transferred to stainless steel tanks where Pardas Hermós Brut Nature ferments. Here the base wine spends about six months at rest, until it is time to bottle it. This is when the second phase begins, where Pardas Hermós Brut Nature spends about 36 months in the bottle. During this time, the wine undergoes a second fermentation, which is how they create the well-known bubbles. Finally, after disgorging, Pardas Hermós Brut Nature is bottled again (without adding expedition liqueur) and released for sale.

As they say at Celler Pardas, in 2018 tradition knocked on their door and they didn’t know how to say no. They took the dare and started making sparkling wines. What do you think? Do you dare try Pardas Hermós Brut Nature?