Internal Legislation

The Denomination of Origin covers white and rosé wines with a minimum alcoholic content of 9.5% vol. and red wines with a minimum of 11% vol. Other types are not considered Penedès. The Regulatory Council sets the yields of the vineyards and wineries, and they also set the pressing limits. For its supervision, a legal body and a series of controls have been developed, which are carried out by the Regulatory Council itself.

One of the biggest challenges the Consell has set itself is to ensure that the vast majority of wines reach the consumer in bottled form, as it wants to prevent Denomination of Origin wines from being bottled outside the region.

As for ageing and maturing for white wines, the regulation establishes a minimum of six months before marketing, thus ensuring that the wines are suitable and reach the consumer at their best. For red wines, a minimum of 15 months of ageing is required, with one month in wood and two months in the bottle. For Gran Reservas, the period is practically double.

In short, Denomination of Origin wines are usually released to the market between eighteen months and two years, although there are producers who extend the whole process, depending on the qualities and the type of wine they want to offer.