🍷 Reserva Real 2018

Reserva Real 2018 is a red DO Penedès wine from the 2018 harvest by the house Familia Torres of Vilafranca del Penedès.

According to the house, the grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc; the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels; the alcohol is 14.5 %; residual sugar is 0.5 g/l; 1029 bottles were produced; bottle sizes: 0.75 l, 1.5 l, 3 l.

Familia Torres is a family wine company in Vilafranca del Penedès (Catalonia), founded in 1870 by the brothers Jaime and Miguel Torres Vendrell; known for Mas La Plana and estates in several Spanish appellations.

DO Penedès is a protected designation of origin in Catalonia, covering municipalities in the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona; the name has been protected in the EU since 13 June 1986. Twenty-nine varieties are allowed, among them Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Parellada, Garnacha, Tempranillo (Ull de Llebre), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Yields may not exceed 12,000 kg/ha for white grapes and 9,000 kg/ha for red; the designation covers still, liqueur, sparkling and semi-sparkling wines.

A DO name on the label means the wine is made from grapes of its own area under the rules of its product specification (pliego de condiciones): the rules set the permitted varieties and the limits on yield and wine output, and the designation’s Regulatory Board checks production and issues control labels. It is a rule of origin, not a verdict on taste.

Under EU rules, a wine label must show the designation of origin, the actual alcoholic strength, allergens such as sulphites, and the name of the bottler.

Why it matters to you. The designation on the label tells you where the grapes come from and under which rules the wine was made; the harvest year shows that different years are different wines. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol. The year on the label is the harvest year, so different years of the same line are different wines.