Discovering the Alella wine region
DO APELLATION CHARACTERISTICS, WINERIES AND MORE
Picture a range of hills descending in soft slopes covered in vineyards towards a Mediterranean coast dotted with quaint seaside towns. The Summer sun is shining, and in your hand there’s a glass of bubbly sparkling wine. Or maybe a young and refreshing white. The breeze blows gently in your hair. And your eyes are mesmerized by the combination of the green of the vineyards, the white of the villages and the blue of the sea. This is Alella.
The Alella DO is the smallest Appellation of Origin in Spain, with only some 300 hectares of vineyards and 8 wineries growing their own grapes, plus a another handful making wine from grapes purchased to local farmers. The total production is around 350.000 bottles/year. Its wine making tradition dates back from the Roman times, and its fame has been reinforced this last years by young generations of wine makers ready to take their cellars to the next level.
Nowadays Alella produces a majority of dry floral whites, as well as high end cavas (sparkling wines). While still not as common, their fresh rosés and elegant reds are growing in popularity. And because this wine region isn’t as famous as other Spanish areas, their prices are very competitives considering their quality and the fact that most of them are small cellars with limited productions.
The Alella DO
History of wine making in Alella
Latin authors from 2000 years ago such as Pliny the Elder already mention wines produced in the Barcino area – the surroundings of Barcelona. And archaeological excavations in the area have unearthed wine making facilities that confirm wine was made in the Alella wine region already 21 centuries ago. And despite the decline of wine making during the time of the Frank Counties, who favored beer, in the Middle Ages the Alella wines got enough fame to be served in the palaces of the Catalan nobility. And by the end of the 1800’s, their wines were already exported to America.
In 1906 was founded the Alella Vinicola coop, who commissioned the construction of their cellar to the modernist architect Jeroni Martorell.
The DO Alella was created in 1954, and nowadays it comprises 31 towns, almost 2/3 of them in the Maresme county, 1/3 in the Valles Oriental county (with the vineyards facing inland rather than the seaside), and two more in the Barcelones county – the towns of Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramanet. Nowadays, though, one of the main issues faced by the DO is the lack of available land to plant vineyards due to the huge demand for land development. In fact, the surface of farmed land in the DO has reduced to a third of what it was when the DO was created.
Grapes used in Alella wines
The most representative variety of grape in the Alella DO is the Pansa Blanca, a Catalan white grape known as Xarel·lo in other areas such as Penedes, where it is one of the three top grapes for cava making. Together with white grenache, they are the favorite grapes in the region to make white wines, even if other varieties are also approved by the DO. Those include Muscat, Chardonay, Chenin, Macabeo, Malvasía, Parellada, Piquepoul and Sauvignon Blanc.
Soil, climate and geography
Soil, climate and geography are specific traits that define the Alella Wine Region. The soil specially has a strong influence on the end results of the wine making process, as it affects the taste and ripening process of the grapes. In Alella, the soil contains a material called “sauló“, an almost white decomposed granite with a sandy quality. This type of soil lets the water penetrate quickly, at the same time retaining the sunlight and heat. This helps achieving the right level of maturity in the grapes while avoiding problems related to the excess of humidity, and also conveys a certain mineral flavor to the wines.
Alella has a privileged location on the hillsides of the Serralada Litoral, by the Mediterranean sea. This small range of hills helps retaining the humidity of the sea, but it also stops the cold winds coming from the Pyrenees. The altitude of the vinyards ranges between 60 to 250m (195 to 800ft) above sea level. As a result, the temperatures in Alella are temperate: mild in the winter, although hot and dry in the Summer – a typical Mediterranean climate. The mountainsides facing the interior of Catalonia, though, tend to be cooler.
Alella Wineries
1
Alta Alella wine cellar
Two times winners of the award to the Best Cava in Spain, Alta Alella is maiking a statement: Cava doesn't just belong to the Penedes area, and the Alella wine region has much more potential than people thought. This cellar is a family project of wine lovers committed to the terroir and the environment. They produce organic wines and sparklings, and they specialize in long aging cava - their Gran Reserva age for no less than 30 months in the bottle and some of them for more than 10 years - which is extremely rare for a sparkling wine.
They also have a second brand devoted to ancestral wines produces with no sulfits and minimal intervention: Celler de les Aus.
Location: Alella suburbs (20min walk from the Alella bus stop, mostly uphill). While it’s not super easy to get there by public transportation, the quality of their wines is worth it if you are a wine connoisseur (and energetic enough).
2
Alella Vinicola (Celler Marfil)
Founded in 1906, it is the oldest operating wine cellar in the Alella wine region, and also one of the oldest wine making cooperatives in Spain. Their most famous brand is Marfil. Since 2001 the cellar has focused on sustainability and in recovering wine varieties such as sweet wines, vermouth and fortified wines that used to be strong in the area but had fallen out of favor and are now back to the local tables.
Location: While their headquarters are located in the outskirts of Alella, the historical cellar (which is the one that is visitable) is located in the heart of the village, just 5 minutes walk from the bus stop.
3
Bouquet d'Alella
The Boquet family has entertained their wine state for 5 centuries and have been producing wine for 14 generations. Nowadays they produce premium organic wines for all occasions. Despite being surrounded by vineyards and woods, their old farmhouse is easy to reach from the village of Alella: it's just a few minutes further from Alella Vinicola and it's possible to visit both in one morning if you plan it well - which makes a fun contrast between a urban cellar and a rural one.They produce mostly still wines, two sparklings (one white, one rosé) and a lovely sweet wine.
Location: Right off the main road that crosses the village, 12 minutes walk from the bus station.
4
Masia Can Roda
Celler de Can Roda is one of the Alella cellars that faces the inland rather than the Mediterranean sea. And in order to get there you won’t be going through Alella but you’ll have to access it from the other side of the Serralada de Marina mountains. The cellar is a historical Catalan “masia” farmhouse documented from 1447, but rebuilt in 1864 in Modernist style. They started producing wine in 2010, and nowadays their entire production is organic. They work mostly with still wines (whites, reds and one rosé), but they also do sparklings, one sweet wine and one vermouth.
Location: Santa Maria de Martorelles. Get there taking the R2N train to Mollet-St. Fost, then the 356 bus that drops you off almost 20 minutes walk from the cellar.
5
Quim Batlle
This cellar is located in Tiana, one of the villages of the Alella Wine Country, higher up in the mountains, but still facing the sea. The cellar is named after the local who bought the state and started making wine there in 1995, going completely organic in 2003. They are committed to the local varieties: pansa blanca (a white indigenous grape), white grenache and picapoll (piquepoul). With them they elaborate award-wining white wines as well as one brut nature sparkling wine.
Location: Outskirts of Tiana. We don’t recommend visiting it unless you have your own car (or a rental), because the state is 30 minutes walk from the closest bus stop.
6
Bodegues Roura
7
Can Matons (Marques d'Alella / Raventós d'Alella)
Owned by the Raventos Codorniu group, this cellar is located in Santa Maria de Martorelles, in the inland side of the Serralada de Marina, and surrounded by old vineyards and woods. It is named after a medieval farmhouse in the state.
Location: Martorelles. As far as we know, this cellar is not open for visits. TRY THEIR WINES >>8
Other Alella DO wine makers that don't own their own cellars
There’s some wine producers whose wines have been accepted into the Alella DO despite not owning their own wine making facilities. These are:
- Albert Federico
- Can Mora d’Agell
- Mario Rovira
- Masia Can Coll
- Señorio del Libano
- Testuan
- Vinya d’en Sabater
Visiting Alella
How to get there
FLYING IN
Alella is located right outside of Barcelona (Spain). The closest airports are the Barcelona – El Prat (BCN) airport (35km / 22.7mi away) and the Girona – Costa Brava (GRO) airport (80km / 50mi away). Unfortunately, there’s no direct public transportation connecting the airports with Alella, so if you aren’t driving, taking an expensive taxi or hiring a private driver, you’ll need to go through Barcelona and connect trains and buses.
DRIVING TO ALELLA
There’s two highways taking you to Alella from Barcelona. If you are driving from the city center you’ll most likely be taking the C-31 from Gran Via, but if you are in the uptown districts you’ll normally use either the Ronda de Dalt road ring or the Meridiana avenue to leave the city via the B-20.
Both highways join in the beach town of Montgat, becoming the C-32, and take the exit #86. (or you can stay on the B-20, that becomes a local road and also goes through Alella). In any case, do whatever Google Maps tells you to do, as the amount of traffic can be determinant to decide which way to go. But on a good day with no traffic you can be there in 20 to 30 minutes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
There’s no train station in Alella. The closest station is El Masnou (R1 line stopping in Sants, Plaça de Cataluny and Arc de Triomf), and from there you’ll have to walk 10 minutes to the stop of the 646 bus taking you to Alella (10 more minutes ride). But that combination can easily take you 1.5 hours…
Instead we recommend to take the E19 bus that departs from near Plaça Tetuan in Barcelona, getting you to Alella in under half an hour. Mind you, the bust takes you to the actual town of Alella, but from there you’ll need transportation to get to most cellars.
Best time to visit
The best thing about visiting wineries is that the temperature in the cellars remains stable all year around, and you don’t need to be outdoors to enjoy a glass of wine! So any time of the year is great to visit the Alella wine country. In the Winter, the vines will be dormant, and the activity at the cellar will be at its lowest. In Spring the vineyards start sprouting and the life slowly comes back to the state, which needs tending. Little by little the tiny flowers of the vines become tiny grapes.
In the Summer the grapes have reached their optimal point of maturity and the harvest starts. Depending on their location, it may start as early as late july and finish as late as September. It’s always fun to visit the wineries in that time of the year, when the staff is busy picking up grapes, bringing them to the cellar, pressing them into must… Autumn is then another great moment to visit, when the vine leaves turn yellow and fall, and at the winery they are busy bottling and getting ready for the Christmas sales.
Festival de la Verema - The Alella Wine Festival
The Festa de la Verema is the Alella Harvest Festival, taking place around the first week of September. The Festival has been celebrated for over 50 years already, and nowadays it includes folk displays, masterclasses, wine tastings, a food and wine festival and guided tours at the cellars. It might not be the best time to visit cellars as a tourist, though, because specially during the weekend most activities will be geared at the locals and will be mostly done in Catalan (and maybe Spanish as well, but not always).
What to visit in Alella
The Alella wine region is so close to Barcelona that it is possible to visit a couple of cellars in one morning and be back to the city by lunchtime. However, there’s plenty of off the beaten path attractions that make it worth it to stay overnight, not just for the cellars. Here are a few ideas:
- Maresme beaches. From Mongat all the way to Arenys de Mar, the beaches North of Barcelona are mostly urban beaches easily reachable by train. Family-friendly stripes of fine sand that are relatively shallow. You can learn more about them here.
- Sant Jeroni de la Murtra monastery. Founded in 1416 and inhabited by monks until 1835, it is said that Christopher Columbus was received here by the Catholic Monarchs after his first trip to America.
- Anis del Mono factory. A famous anisette distillery in Badalona.
- Nau Gaudi. An industrial facility in Badalona built by a young Antoni Gaudi.
- Espinaler. A local tapas bar famous for their spicy sauce, in Premia de Mar.
- Prehistorical Dolmens. Ancient rock constructions, one of the most famous is the one in Can Gurri, Vallromanes.
- Burriac Castle. Ruins of a medieval fortress overlooking the mediterranean, in the hills over Cabrera de Mar.
- Castell de Santa Florentina. Technically right off the limits of the official Alella DO surface, but so close to it that I couldn’t leave it out. It’s a scenic medieval mansion from the 1000’s restored by the modernist architect Domenech i Muntaner. Some chapters of Season 6 of Game of Thrones were filmed here.
Alella wine tours
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Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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