Corpinnat Infinit Rose Recaredo 2021

Corpinnat Infinit Rose, organic Rose Sparkler, Xarel-lo and Garnacha Negra, very delicate skin contact with the red grapes to produce a fine, elegance Rose wine.  This project from the fine wine producers at Recaredo is designed to make classic wines from the region with no compromise to quality but at a slightly lower price point.  Here vineyards are all organic, rather than Biodynamic, and the wine spends a ‘mere’ 36 months in the bottle on the lees.  However, the Recaredo style is absolutly there for all to taste.  The Crystalline acidity and finesse for a wine at this price is outstanding.  It is delicate but the coplexity is there behind the immeditaely easy freshness.  Try this delightful Champagne method sparkler with all sorts of foods, from fish and seafood to charcuterie and cheeses, light poultry or just as an apero with toasted almonds.

Recaredo is a pioneering wine estate based approximately 40 km south of Barcelona.  They are responsible for the creation of a new classification for Sparkling wines in their region which used to be called Cava. Now thanks to Recaredo and alongside another 22 wineries who followed their lead these champagne style wines are labelled CORPINNAT.  

The story behind this new Sparkling wine classification......

The D.O. Cava was created in 1987 and, unlike most wine appellations, it was not linked to one specific place or terroir. Cava can be produced in several different regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Rioja, Extremadura and Valencia.  For Recaredo, this became difficult to reconcile with their belief that wine should always be closely connected to a specific place and landscape. There were also other aspects of the DO regulations that they felt did not go far enough in terms of origin and quality. For example, within DO Cava, it is possible to buy wine made by someone else or even buy bottles already undergoing ageing and then pass them off as your own product. Corpinnat was created to establish much stricter rules around the origin, viticulture and production.

To be part of Corpinnat, the grapes must be grown and vinified in the Penedès region.  The winery must also work the vineyards itself, harvest by hand, farm organically and work mainly with local grape varieties. The wines must age for a minimum of 18 months (which is stricter than for NV Champagne), and the entire production process must take place at the winery — you cannot buy finished wine or bottles produced by somebody else.

Grapes can be purchased from other growers but Corpinnat establishes a minimum grape price, significantly above the normal regional market price, together with long-term agreements with the growers. The idea is not only to maintain the quality of production and therefore to make better sparkling wines, but also to strengthen viticulture and the future of the Penedès region.

Corpinnat is exclusively for sparkling wine and applies to the entire winery. In other words, a winery cannot produce one Corpinnat wine while keeping the rest of its sparkling production under DO Cava.

Corpinnat started in 2019 with just six wineries.  Today there are 23 wineries and growing working under the Corpinnat rules.

Quite a revolution for the region!

Recaredo as the founders of Corpinnat are the bench mark for the region.  There wines are aged for a particularly long time on the lees in the bottle.  Their flagship wine spending an incredible 12 years and 6 months on the lees!  The wines are incredibly mineral and taught with the autolytic flavours developing slowly and subtly over time.  They are delicious and a great alternative to Champagne, with a distinctively different character.