Do penedes gets its skates on

One has to say that the Penedès is a wine region with lots of future potential still ahead both for budding Wine Enthusiasts and Wine Tourists alike. Even some wine professionals around the world fail to notice that Penedès does not automatically mean Cava, eventhough geographically the two Appelations do coincide to a great extent. Cava is Cava and although 95% of all Catalonia's Cava originates from Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and surroundig area, it can also be produced (in limited regions) in Valencia, Extremadura and Rioja. The DO Penedès however is only concerned with still wines. It is made up of three sub-regions, Baix Penedès, Penedès Central and Alt Penedès, the latter being without a shadow of a doubt the best sub-region within the Appelation. There is a strong mediterranean flair present; mild in nature with lots of humidity,  vines don't suffer and grapes mature earlier. Known as the most experimental of all Spain's Denominaciones de Origen with its 24,000 + hectares of vineyards, there are few well known varietals which cannot be found in Penedès. Thanks to Jean Leon (Ceferino Carrión) who introduced the famous Bordeaux and Burgundy varietals to the Penedès region; Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and even Chardonnay back in 1964. From then on more foreign grapes have invaded the territory much to the dislike of the local Wine Purists, although today we are seeing a revival of great autoctonous varietals such as Xarello and Sumoll, white and red respectively. Many smaller wineries are bucking this trend to set themselves apart from the big players and play the music for the future indigenous stakes of the region. As far as Wine Tourism is concerned, there is also a bright future ahead for the Penedès. The creation of the Penedès Tourism Consortium back in 1999, and an increased focus in el enoturisme as it´s called in the region, has resulted in an improved infrastructure  of  in the last 3 years the organisation of winery visits and indeed infrastructure for would be tourist