A group of companies that produce high quality sparkling wine
The collective EU brand Corpinnat is made up of twelve wineries that abandoned the DO Cava to bet on a high quality product that is much more uniform than that of the DO Cava. Last week, they released their 2023 results, which show their moderate but steady growth.
To contextualize the reader, in 2022 DO Cava issued 255 million bottles, of which 216 were from the lowest category (minimum of 9 months of aging). Next, there were 28 million bottles aged at least 18 months and 4.3 million aged 30 months or more. In the same year, the Corpinnat wineries sold 2.4 million bottles. So this represents a very small part of what DO cava produces. The peculiarity is that 85% of the Corpinnat bottles were aged for a minimum of 30 months. Doing some calculations on this data, of the highly aged sparkling wine (30 or more months) a third was a Corpinnat (by the way, all the wineries in this group have on the market at least one sparkling wine aged 60 months, i.e. 5 years).
Values that define your DNA
In addition to the numbers contained in the report, which can be consulted freely (www.corpinnat.com), I thought it important to highlight and contribute to spreading the values on which the Corpinnat group of companies is founded. They are essential, they are part of their identity and I summarize them like this.
Corpinnat only works with certified organic grapes. In addition to its inherent value, this characteristic influences the yield of grapes obtained per hectare, which is lower than that obtained in crops with conventional treatments. What has been achieved in 2023 (4,770 kg/ha) has been very low due to the drought. In 2024, it won’t get better, even if it rains a lot this coming spring.
What was proposed and what this group of companies is achieving could serve as an example for other Catalan companies in the wine sector
All the product that is obtained under the Corpinnat brand is vinified on the property from manual harvesting on the own estates (647 hectares in all) and from purchases of grapes from independent winegrowers (521 hectares) with which minimum contracts of three years In addition, all the Corpinnat grapes come solely from the territory that the brand has demarcated, mainly Alt Penedès and some municipalities in neighboring counties. The grapes and wine used by the wineries therefore have a clear delimitation of origin, the group is linked to the land.
So tied to the territory that, when a producer has to buy grapes from winegrowers with whom they have established contracts, the grapes must be paid at a minimum price per kilo. In 2023, this initial agreed minimum was 85 cents/kilo, but in reality the price that ended up being paid to winegrowers was on average €1.04/kg, around 50% more than what the DO cava paid for organic grapes. Also in line with the link, the Corpinnat regulations establish that 90% of the sparkling wine must be obtained from historical varieties (Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada…) and only 10% can come from other varieties such as trepat, chardonnay or pinot noir.
A commitment to quality that comes at a price
Corpinnat wineries can only produce and market Corpinnat. They cannot produce cava, prosecco, or other sparkling wines. As for trademarks, each company has its own, with the obligation to state the Corpinnat brand on the label and cap. It is not allowed to sell Corpinnat with white label, so common in the large distribution. Corpinnat members are audited annually to verify compliance with the production regulations that govern the brand, and their vineyards as well.
Finally, quality comes at a price. For this reason, right now the cheapest Corpinnat that can be found in the supermarket is around 13 euros; the estimated average price in 2023 is 20 euros per bottle. This price level is considerably higher than that of DO cava. Just as an example, of this DO you can find cavas in the supermarket with a wide range of prices: on the high end, a Juvé & Camps has a minimum price of 14 euros; on the lower side there is a Jaume Serra (from Bodegas Carrión) from 3 euros. And everything is cava…
An example to follow in other productive sectors
Corpinnat was born under very demanding conditions, which are based on a very serious commitment to the territory and to quality. What was proposed and what this group of companies is achieving could serve as an example for other Catalan companies in the wine sector, in the rich Catalan agri-food sector and also for the Department (now of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries) . And why not in other productive sectors? The Corpinnat phenomenon is an example of how valuable it is to have values that go in the direction of managing the territory and the product that the country needs most. Ah! And all this thought, promoted and executed by private individuals, without any kind of aid.