Satisfaction among the eleven producing companies that are part of the European collective brand of quality sparkling wines Corpinnat. After the marked drop in orders caused by the pandemic in 2020, sales in the wine sector recovered strongly in 2021 as a result of the reopening of restaurants, with a 35% growth in the volume of bottles sold, up to 2.3 million units.
Growth in value has been superior, meaning that bottles have been sold at a higher price, as turnover has grown by 37.5%, with 23.1 million euros. Specifically, the average price of each Corpinnat bottle stood at 17.35 euros last year, a 2% increase. Compared to 2019, the year's balance is also very positive because pre-pandemic levels have been surpassed, with a 5% increase in the number of bottles and a 12% increase in turnover.
The president of Corpinnat, Ton Mata, owner of the Recaredo winery, announced these figures this Monday, one month before celebrating the fourth anniversary of the birth of the Association of Viticulturists and Producers Corpinnat (Avec). The entity was created by Recaredo, Gramona, Llopart, Nadal, Torelló, and Sabaté i Coca, who simultaneously withdrew from the Cava Designation of Origin, causing a real stir in Penedès. In these first four years, the wineries Huguet de Can Feixes, Júlia Bernet, Mas Candí, Descregut and Pardas have joined the initiative.
According to Mata, Corpinnat, which means heart of Penedès, "was born from an illusion turned into a necessity" and with "the fully constructive intention of putting territory and quality at the center of focus." "We are a small entity, but we are acting as catalysts, as a spearhead; Corpinnat is a proposal that shows that we can do things differently and that we have enormous potential as a territory for quality, originality, and long-aged sparkling wines," says the winemaker.
The eleven brands that Corpinnat encompasses have adopted a regulation that is considered one of the most demanding in the world of sparkling wine internationally and that rests on six fundamental pillars: 100% organic production; manual harvest; fruit of historical varieties (minimum 90%); from vineyards owned or with long-term contracts with winegrowers to whom a guaranteed minimum price must be paid; with 100% vinification done on the property, and an absolute commitment to long aging, with a minimum production period of 18 months.
Thus, in 2021, 83% of the bottles marketed by Corpinnat partners had more than 30 months of aging in the cellar and 28% exceeded 60 months, a figure that is well above the average for sparkling wines. 19.7% of the production was exported to a total of 55 countries.
The eleven wineries own 644 hectares, although part of them are destined for the production of still wines. In parallel, they have 72 winegrower suppliers who control 347 more hectares. All of them must be located within the Corpinnat territory, which encompasses an area of 977 square kilometers distributed among 46 municipalities. This 2022 the guaranteed minimum purchase price for winegrowers will be 0.70 euros per kilo of grapes plus the agricultural CPI.
One of Corpinnat's main objectives is to promote wine tourism to bring consumers closer to the production territory. In 2021, the wineries registered 21,144 visits, 40% less than before the pandemic due to the restrictions that were still in force. In this sense, between July 20 and 31, Corpinnat plans to celebrate the second edition of a gastronomic festival in which renowned restaurants prepare a special menu in each of the wineries paired with the sparkling wines of each house. In total, in 2021, 65 dinners were organized with 59 participating restaurants and 2,472 diners. This year, they also want to bet on celebrating a final harvest festival in a unique setting in the Penedès.
"Possibly, just four years ago no one would have said that Corpinnat was a possible idea. And, yet, it is a reality. We are convinced that we are moving in the right direction, which is to actively participate in the shared goal of turning this territory, the heart of Penedès, into a wine region recognized worldwide for the production of great sparkling wines," concludes the entity, whose vice president is Xavier Nadal.