D.O. ALELLA
INTRODUCTION
Throughout
Catalonia, in most of Spain, and in many foreign countries, the name of Alella
is identified with wine, perhaps because over the years a long tradition of wine
growing and wine production has associated the land and the product, that
spreading the name of this town around the world.
Perhaps
one of the most fascinating mysteries about the Alella wines is that they exist
at all. They are products of small vines in the midst of the Maresme, hidden
from the enquiring eye of the visitor. For many years they have been fighting an
unequal battle for survival against the urban area expansion of urban Barcelona.
This has not always been the case, as Alella wine has a long history and a important place in the Catalan wine producing tradition. It was well known and appreciated in Roman times it is mentioned by Pliny and Marcial as a Laietan wine and during the middle ages it was the favourite wine of the Barcelona Bishopric. It later became one of the quality wines, the most important Catalan export wine abroad, especially to overseas colonies where there were large numbers of Catalans.
This
wine producing tradition is still very much alive today, and the wine from the
quality controlled region 'denominació d'origen' (D.O.) of Alella
remains a symbol of determination to remain a true Mediterranean and therefore
wine producing town, despite the demanding nature of the job and the
difficulties we have had to face over the years, most importantly the Phylloxera
plaque which destroyed vine stocks at the end of the 19th century.
The
Alella wine producing region, one of the smallest D.O. regions in the country,
is located to the north of Barcelona and covers an area of around 500 hectares
of sea coast and sloping hills.
The
vines which make up the Alella D.O. have been modernised, bringing in new techniques
and systems of cultivation and production; it remains clear, however, that only
in the quality and individual character of the wine from this small wine
producing region can we find its truly universal appeal.
Many
things can be said about the Alella vineyards, such as their long history we
mentioned above and their remarkable process of modernisation recently
undertaken, but, at present, one of
the most remarkable facts is that they are urban, vineyards. In spite of all
this, the wine producing tradition is still very much alive, and moreover, it is
well structured and exemplary. Year after year sun, water, soil and work are
transformed into a radiant and captivating product, which is Alella wine.
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Can Magarola. Alella D.O. Head Office |
And
if its location makes this an urban wine, its identity and vocation make it the
wine of the Maresme, since Alella wine is, above all, deeply rooted in the
tradition of the cuisine of Barcelona, both at
the turn of the century and at present.
That city, that time and those people were aware of the prestige of the Alella
wine and incorporated it into the symbolism of the moment and of their city.
Can
Magarola is one of the oldest country houses or masies in Alella. Placed
on the upper side of Coma Clara, its vantage position has turned it into a
witness of the town’s history for over 700 years. This fact determined its
being chosen as the venue for the museum that displays Alella’s historical and
ethnological heritage.
The
setting up of the Can Magarola Country House Museum Municipal Trust in 1983
allowed the restoration and revamping of the building for its assigned task of
holding and disseminating local history. Later on, the close relationship of the
town with its wine, and the support of Alella C.R.D.O. have added to Can
Magarola’s function as town museum that of Home of the Alella Wine.
Consequently,
the country house now offers its visitors the possibility of tasting the yield
of our vineyards and to see a selection of objects related to the traditions and
process of winemaking.
The
country house retains architectonic remains dating from the late 13th
and early 14th centuries, thus being one of the oldest masies
in Alella.
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Alella D.O. Wine Tasting Room |
Up
to the year1377, when Arnal Sayol bought it and renamed it
Mas Sayol de Munt, it had been known as Mas Oller. Later on, the Bishop of Eine, Vic and Lleida, Pere de Magarola, who had bought it in
1625, passed it on to his nephew
Pere de Magarola. By then, the masia had become one of the most important
country houses in Alella. In 1745 it was inherited by the Marquis of Bàrcena,
following his marriage to Francesc Magarola’s daughter. This is the reason why
Can Magarola is also known as Casa Bàrcena.