Succes Vinicola Experiencia Parellada 2022

Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell began making wine in 2011 at the age of twenty. Based in the hills of Conca de Barberà, southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, they farm organically with the support of local investment and a network of experienced, long-time growers from whom they source their grapes.

Catalonia's wine history has long been tied to Cava and inexpensive rosé. While this is not a critique, the over-commercialization of these wines has often been the spark for bold, dynamic young winemakers to push against convention. Albert and Mariona are among these trailblazers—young, entrepreneurial, environmentally conscious, and champions of indigenous grape varieties. They have embraced lesser-known varieties like Trepat, Parellada, and Ull de Llebre, which have sustained the region for generations. Their efforts have led to a range of pure, vibrant still wines that are setting new standards for Catalonian wine.

The couple's farming practices are organic, and they work with 40- to 60-year-old bush-trained Parellada vines grown in calcareous clay. Success Vinícola, their winery, is one of the first to produce a still Parellada, a grape traditionally used in Cava production. Known for its late ripening and preference for high altitudes above 400 meters, Parellada is typically harvested in late October. After being picked, the grapes are pressed and undergo 12 hours of skin contact before spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks. This approach has positioned them as a benchmark producer of the grape.