Gramona

Gramona was founded in 1881 in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia by Pau Batlle and Bartomeu Gramona during the late 19th-century surge of traditional-method sparkling wine production in Penedès, only nine years after Josep Raventós Fatjó produced Spain's first traditional-method sparkling wine at Codorníu in 1872. The estate remained focused on quality-driven sparkling wine production through the early 20th century while many Penedès producers expanded into volume Cava production through cooperatives and large industrial cellars. Five generations of the Gramona family have managed the estate, with the current generation led by cousins Xavier Gramona and Jaume Gramona alongside additional family members in oenology and vineyard management roles. The family has consistently positioned the estate at the quality end of the Penedès sparkling wine spectrum, building one of the longest extended-lees aging traditions in global traditional-method wine and pioneering biodynamic viticulture in Catalonia from the early 2000s.

• Founded 1881 in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia by Pau Batlle and Bartomeu Gramona, only 9 years after Codorníu produced Spain's first traditional-method sparkling wine in 1872.
• Five generations of family ownership across nearly 150 years; current management under cousins Xavier Gramona and Jaume Gramona alongside next-generation family members.
• Estate consistently positioned at the quality end of the Penedès sparkling wine spectrum, building extended-lees aging traditions while many regional peers focused on volume Cava production.
• Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the historical center of Spanish sparkling wine production, hosts Gramona alongside Codorníu, Freixenet, Juvé y Camps, Recaredo, and other Penedès sparkling estates.

Gramona's 50-hectare estate vineyard is anchored at the Sant Sadurní d'Anoia home property and extends across additional parcels in central Penedès. The estate adopted organic viticulture in the early 2000s and achieved full Demeter biodynamic certification within the decade, joining Recaredo as one of the two earliest biodynamically certified Penedès sparkling wine producers. Vineyards center on the native Penedès trio (Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada) with significant Chardonnay plantings for the Imperial and Celler Batlle blends, and smaller parcels of red varieties (Garnacha, Sumoll, Monastrell) for rosé production. The estate's biodynamic protocols include cover crops, integrated livestock, biodynamic preparations applied per the lunar calendar, hand harvest into small crates, and complete elimination of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The 50-hectare scale is significantly larger than fellow Corpinnat estate Recaredo (around 60 hectares including managed parcels) and positions Gramona as one of the largest biodynamic sparkling wine estates globally.

• 50-hectare biodynamic estate vineyard with the home property at Sant Sadurní d'Anoia plus additional parcels across central Penedès; full Demeter biodynamic certification.
• One of the two earliest biodynamically certified Penedès sparkling wine producers (alongside Recaredo); pioneered biodynamic practice for Catalan sparkling from the early 2000s.
• Native Penedès trio (Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada) plus significant Chardonnay for the Imperial and Celler Batlle blends; small red-variety parcels for rosé production.
• Biodynamic protocols include cover crops, integrated livestock, lunar-calendar preparations, hand harvest into small crates, and complete elimination of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Gramona is internationally recognized for producing some of the longest-aged traditional-method sparkling wines in the world. The flagship Imperial Gran Reserva ages a minimum of 5 to 7 years on the lees, well beyond the Corpinnat 18-month minimum and the historical Cava Gran Reserva 30-month rule. The prestige Celler Batlle cuvée ages a minimum 9 years on the lees, blending Xarel·lo and Macabeu from older estate parcels. Enoteca Brut Nature, an extended-aging library release, ages 11 years or more on the lees before disgorgement, with some library releases held past 20 years. The estate's extended-lees commitment reflects both family tradition and the technical reality that Penedès native varieties (particularly Xarel·lo) gain substantial complexity from prolonged autolytic aging, developing brioche, hazelnut, dried apricot, and oxidative honey notes alongside the saline-mineral foundation. Gramona's library cellar maintains depth across decades of vintages, with mature Imperial and Celler Batlle bottlings available at the estate and through prestige distribution channels.

• Imperial Gran Reserva ages minimum 5 to 7 years on the lees, well beyond the Corpinnat 18-month minimum and the historical Cava Gran Reserva 30-month rule; the estate's most widely distributed prestige cuvée.
• Celler Batlle: prestige cuvée from older estate parcels (Xarel·lo and Macabeu); minimum 9 years on the lees; one of the longest-aged traditional-method sparkling wines in global commercial production.
• Enoteca Brut Nature: extended-aging library release; 11 years or more on the lees before disgorgement; some releases held past 20 years for ultimate autolytic complexity.
• Extended-lees aging develops brioche, hazelnut, dried apricot, oxidative honey, and truffle complexity on top of the Xarel·lo-Macabeu saline-mineral foundation that defines Penedès sparkling identity.

On 22 February 2019, Gramona joined eight other Penedès sparkling wine producers (Recaredo, Llopart, Torelló, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Can Feixes Huguet, and Júlia Bernet) in formally leaving the Cava DO to launch the Corpinnat collective brand. The decision had been building since 2015 when the same group registered the Corpinnat brand with the EU as a collective trademark (formally completed September 2017); seven years after Raventós i Blanc's 2012 departure, the nine producers exited Cava DO en bloc citing the appellation's failure to enforce quality standards equal to their estate ambitions. Corpinnat is not a DO but a registered EU collective brand with strict membership requirements: 100% organic farming, hand harvest, estate-vinified fruit, minimum 90% indigenous varieties, minimum 18 months on the lees, and territory limited to the core Penedès cluster around Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (997 km²). Gramona's wines now carry the Corpinnat designation prominently on the label, replacing the Cava DO branding the estate used through 2018; the move has been credited alongside Raventós i Blanc's 2012 departure with indirectly accelerating the 2020 Cava DO regulatory overhaul.

• Gramona joined 8 other producers (Recaredo, Llopart, Torelló, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Can Feixes Huguet, Júlia Bernet) in leaving Cava DO on 22 February 2019 to launch Corpinnat.
• Corpinnat brand registered with EU as collective trademark in September 2017; formal commercial launch followed Cava DO departure in February 2019; not a DO but a registered collective brand.
• Corpinnat membership requirements: 100% organic farming, hand harvest, estate vinification, minimum 90% indigenous varieties, minimum 18 months on the lees, territory limited to 997 km² core Penedès.
• The 2019 Corpinnat departure followed Raventós i Blanc's 2012 Cava DO exit and indirectly catalyzed the 2020 Cava DO regulatory overhaul including Cava de Paraje Calificado at minimum 36 months on the lees.

Beyond its sparkling wine reputation, Gramona produces a strong still-wine range under the Penedès DO. The Gessamí cuvée is an aromatic Sauvignon Blanc-led blend from estate parcels; Mas Escorpí is a barrel-fermented Chardonnay from a designated single-vineyard site; Font Jui is a single-vineyard Xarel·lo demonstrating the variety's still-wine potential away from sparkling production; Vi de Glass dessert wines (Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay) are produced through cryoextraction. Gramona has also been a leading voice in the revival of Sumoll, an indigenous Catalan red variety that nearly disappeared after phylloxera and has been recovered by a small group of Penedès producers since the 2010s. The estate's Sumoll bottlings are produced in small lots and form part of the broader Penedès indigenous-variety renaissance alongside parallel work at Familia Torres, Parés Baltà, and Jean León. The still-wine range positions Gramona as a complete Penedès producer rather than a single-category sparkling wine specialist.

• Gessamí: aromatic white blend Sauvignon Blanc-led with smaller percentages of Gewürztraminer and Moscatell; estate parcels with biodynamic protocols; designed as an aromatic counterpart to Cava sparklings.
• Mas Escorpí: single-vineyard Chardonnay barrel-fermented in French oak; demonstrates Penedès's Chardonnay capability outside the international-variety sparkling component blends.
• Font Jui: single-vineyard Xarel·lo demonstrating the variety's still-wine potential; saline-mineral foundation and naturally high acidity translate from sparkling to still expression.
• Sumoll revival bottlings produced in small lots; part of the broader Penedès indigenous-variety renaissance alongside parallel work at Familia Torres, Parés Baltà, and Jean León.