From Sarral they affirm that the misery caused by the devastating phylloxera plague, which devastated the vineyards in Europe, awakened creativity. The farmers associated and knew how to re-emerge with renewed vigor, creating the first ‘Societies’; fruit of the collective effort to unify work and overcome a desperate economic situation.
They were the embryos of agrarian cooperativism, which in Sarral began to take root at the end of the 19th century with the creation of the Society of Agricultural Workers, which would become the Agricultural Union in 1907. Later, in 1913, another entity was established in this town in Conca de Barberà that would be called the Winegrowers’ Union. In 1959 the two entities merged under the name of Cooperativa Vinícola de Sarral. It is currently called Vinícola de Sarral and Credit Section, Covisal SCCL.
The beginning of the production of cavas and bottled wines began during the early eighties of the last century (the construction of the first cava dates back to 1984). Subsequently, the facilities were expanded and modernized, first for the production of cavas. Then they continued with still wines and sparkling wines made by natural fermentation. The Sarral cooperative has one of the few plants in Catalonia that produces these sparkling sparkling wines.
The modernist winery built in 1914 under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Catalonia is the work of the architect Pere Domènech i Roura, the result of the solidarity effort of the local peasantry to build a rational building. It is of great architectural value. It was a pioneer in terms of incorporating technical, construction and oenological conditions into the agricultural industry. It consists of a large room with vats and vats with a total capacity of 18,000 hl.
Baptized by Àngel Guimerà as one of the ‘Cathedrals of Wine’, due to its magnificence and its floor plan distribution, with a higher central body and lower wings in the style of the ancient Roman basilicas. In addition, its pressurized water tank is arranged like a bell tower. However, the building is externally discreet.
It was built of stone at the base or plinth, with stucco walls and brick decoration on windows and cornices. From the Sarral cooperative they say that “it tends towards sobriety compared to the facades of contemporary buildings, but it is inside, which maintains the original elements in perfect condition, where all its splendor can be appreciated.”
But if there is something that particularly distinguishes this cooperative from Conca de Barberà, it is that it is the largest producer of the native Trepat red variety. Right now, however, they have decided to make their first trepat vinified in vats. It is the Portell Glatim Negre de Trepat 2022. This young wine is born from certified organic grapes selected from two old vineyards (Prat de Meda and L’Urní) planted respectively more than 80 and 65 years ago. Its soils are calcareous, porous (with medium water retention), with clayey or loamy rocks and chalk.
The 2022 vintage was a difficult vintage due to an extreme drought that slowed down the ripening of the berries. The two trepat vines from which this wine is obtained were harvested manually on October 7, 2022, in small boxes. The first selection of the grapes was carried out on each vine. His health condition was perfect. They define it as a minimal intervention wine. Cold premaceration and long maceration at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks sought to “extract the maximum potential of the variety.” Once the alcoholic fermentation was completed on January 16, 2023, 20% of the wine underwent a short aging for 4 months in 300-liter capacity barrels made of first-year French oak (and fine grain and medium toast). The wine, after the stainless steel and wood preparations were assembled, was bottled for final refinement for six more months. A total of 6,944 bottles have been produced from this first vintage.
Portell Glatim Negre de Trepat 2022 has a low layer and ruby ??color. Very varietal. It shows notes reminiscent of red acid fruit (pomegranates) and black forest berries, and also florality (rose petals) and a spicy tip. Marked is its minerality, which is expressed through notes of graphite. It is very fluid, silky and elegant. It has a velvety tactile sensation with a touch of tannin. The aging in wood has only been a slight touch. Youth with a certain nerve thanks to the good acidity, which is refreshing, and with only 12.5º of alcohol. The winery assures that it is “a delicate elegance to discover calmly.” And on the bottle label you can read that it is “the wisdom of the old vineyard, the perseverance of those who have worked it and the tenacity of those who have believed in it.” It is recommended to serve, in a Burgundy-type glass, at a temperature between 14 and 16º C.
From the centenary Sarral Winery they affirm that it is ideal to harmonize with white meats or dishes with sauces based on roux (a cooked dough of flour and butter) and foie. They add that it will “surprise” combined with fish suquets and dark chocolate desserts. It is also a good ally to accompany a roast rabbit with snails and crushed almonds or a dry goat cheese from Sant Gil d’Albió. Although it is open to all types of cuisines, the president of Vinícola de Sarral, Santiago Albaigés, has among his favorite dishes to pair with Glatim wine: duck confit with red fruit sauce. Another option he opts for is a very typical proposal from the cuisine of Conca de Barberà: snails ‘a la llauna’.
The Sarral cooperative has a total of 1,150 hectares of vineyards, planted from 350 to almost 700 meters of altitude in the north of the Conca de Barberà region. They practice sustainable and reasoned viticulture, placing each grape variety “where it achieves greater balance and fully develops its qualities.” They grow the white varieties Macabeo and Parellada, and the red varieties Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and, mainly, Trepat. They pay special attention to the environment and the continuity of winegrowers in the territory.
Today there are 702 members, of which 286 are producers, and they have Miquel Cantó as winemaker. They produce around two million bottles of cava (of which they export 70%) and 300,000 of still wine (of which they export only 3%). They export 27% of bulk wine. The Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and Japan are its main international markets.
