The small coastal region of Alella - boasting just 6 producers, who sell just 2% of their wines abroad - is a stone's throw from Barcelona and produces white wines of extreme delicacy largely from the native Pansa Blanca, though there are sizeable plantations of Chardonnay too.
Marqués de Alella - based in the continental interior of a region that is divided by a coastal mountain range - was the first winery in Spain to cold-ferment white wines in steel back in 1981; and its flagship white wine remains a benchmark. Writing as recently as April 2008 and commenting on the now finished 06 vintage, this is what Johnny Ray of The Telegraph - rating it in his top Spanish 10 - had to say: ´utterly charming.
Cold-fermented, it is crisp and dry, with hints of lemon and lime and a vibrant freshness; ideal for those fed up with chardonnay or sauvignon and spot on with an enormous bowl of paella'. Left with some 7 grammes of residual sugar and slightly spritzy, this is also an ideal aperitif.
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