Trepat

Documented in the Conca since the 17th century, Trepat was for decades the backbone of the area’s rosés and rosé Cavas. The first 100% Trepat red only arrived in 1987, and since 2004 the varietal red has made a strong comeback: today the DO certifies more of it as red than as rosé.

Large berries, thin skins. The result is bright, translucent wines with soft tannins and red fruit, often with a spicy hint of black pepper. Acidity keeps them fresh, and alcohol of around 12% ABV makes them light and very drinkable. A fresh red with a Mediterranean soul.

Between the Prades mountains and Poblet, the Conca is an open east–west corridor. The marinada, the cool Mediterranean breeze, blows in and opens up a wide day–night temperature range. The grapes ripen slowly, keep their acidity and aromas, and are picked in October, later than in neighbouring areas.

Vineyards between 350 and 800 metres, on calcareous conglomerates, clays and marls, with llicorella slate in the south-west, where old bush vines over sixty years old survive. Rainfall is low: 350–450 mm a year.

Bush vine or trellis. Both training systems give good results. In recent decades many hectares have moved from bush vines to trellis, which allows mechanisation. Old, low-yielding bush vines give the most concentrated grapes.

Pruning. It responds well to short pruning. Its vigour and tendency to throw suckers make canopy work essential: the fruit zone needs air without leaving the bunches overexposed to the sun.

Yield. The DO sets it at 8,000–12,000 kg/ha; for quality wines, the guideline is not to exceed 8,000. Narrower spacing, higher density, adjusted bud load and green harvesting have improved quality.

When to pick. For Cava base wines and rosés, a low potential alcohol of around 10–10.3% is sought; for reds, more ripeness. Waiting for maximum ripeness is risky, though: botrytis in tight bunches and loss of acidity. With insufficient ripeness or excessive yields, green notes appear.

Living soil. Organic matter (manure or compost), cover crops for as long as possible and little winter tillage: a better-structured soil copes better with extreme drought and rainfall.

A changing climate. Its long cycle and cool nights protect it. The extreme droughts of recent years have also affected it, but less than other varieties planted in the Conca.

The raw material. Large berries, thin skins and few anthocyanins: when the grapes are crushed, the must barely colours. In INCAVI’s clonal trials, an eight-hour cold soak with enzymes extracted more colour than a standard red vinification, but not more polyphenols.

Don’t force it. Neither over-ripening nor over-extraction gives it structure: they cost it freshness, acidity and identity. The aim is a red with translucent colour, fine tannin and a dry attack.

Carbonic maceration. The first 100% Trepat red, in 1987, was made this way: whole bunches ferment inside the berry under carbon dioxide, a technique that enhances the fruit and gives young wines with soft tannins.

Whole bunch and new paths. Micro-vinifications, whole bunch, early picking, concrete, amphora or glass: the sector keeps exploring new expressions. Concrete lets in less oxygen than a foudre; clay amphorae can let in too much.

Oak, in large format. Small, heavily toasted barriques add toast, chocolate and smoke that mask the spice and can make the wine aggressive. Hence the choice of casks of at least 500 L or 2,500 L foudres: little oxygen and little oak.

Blending, in moderation. It is very sensitive to blending. In early trials, Merlot, added for colour and structure, upset the balance and added too much tannin.

Moderate alcohol. With 10.5–12.5% potential alcohol and little glycerol, the structure is light and the attack dry: length comes from fruit and spice, not weight.

Colour over time. Violet when young, then light red and, finally, orange. It never reaches the colour intensity of a deeply coloured red.