CLOT DE LES SOLERES

Clot de les Soleres produced the first wine in 2008, recovering the familiar tradition of making wines from the vineyards of Heritage Ferrer de la Vall. From 1880, the heritage was focused principally to the vineyard, and only it had approximately 2-3 Ha. of forest and 1 Ha of garden. Due to phylloxera, from 1888, the production of wine slowly gone down until 70s and 80s of XX Century, when all grapes was sold to big cava makers of region. In year 2001, we began to take care from the vineyards, getting back to family tradition and willing to do wine again. From 2008, we elaborate natural wines, without added sulfites or other artificial products (as artificial enzimes or enological additives). That makes the wines unique and unrepeatable every year depending on the rainfall, the harvesting, the terroir, etc. The vinneyards are in differents altitudes (approximately 265-335m) due tot the fact that two torrents cross the land. The average temperature in summer months is about 29 º C and in the winter months it is about 2 º C approximately. The annual rainfall is 606 l approximately and the vineyards don´t have artifitial irrigation. The harvesting is manual, and the transport of the grapes up to the cellar takes about 20 minutes. The vineyard is cultivated with products which are friendly environment, and authorized for integrated or ecological production. We have organic certification (CCPAE). Here you will find the website of the Clot de les Soleres winery: - a brief history of the Heretat Ferrer estate in Vall de Piera (Anoia); - details on the artisanal production of natural wines (wines without added sulphites ) using ecological and biodynamic processes; - photographs of the vineyards and the cellar. The domain of Heretat Ferrer de la Vall is located in the municipality of Piera in Anoiain Catalonia , Spain . There are documents on the Ferrer de la Vall farm since the 16th century. Historically, until the arrival of phylloxera (in 1888), the estate was mainly devoted to the cultivation of the vine and only had about 2-3 Ha of forest and 1 Ha for the vegetable garden. The estate comprises 130 Ha, of which 23 Ha are currently devoted to dry vines, without irrigation. The lands are of limestone type, with an agglomeration of gravel and some clay-limestone outcrops. The estate has a mild climate all year round, oriented to the south-east, and remains sheltered from the north winds in winter. In summer, the marinade arrives in the afternoon (around 1 p.m.), providing humidity and refreshing the vines. In the warmer months, the average temperature reaches 29ºC and around 2ºC in the colder months, not suffering from the many freezes of the usual winters. The average annual rainfall is 606 liters. The vineyards are located between 290 and 325 m above sea level, in the municipality of Piera (Barcelona), within the delimitation of the DO of Penedès. The vineyards are also recognized by DO Cava and DO Cataluña. The hectares of the estate are arid land without irrigation. Contrary to what is usual, we plant at the highest level the vineyards of the white varieties, which are more delicate and need more ventilation to protect them from possible epidemics of botrytis. Thanks to this strategy, the production of white varieties decreases, and therefore increases the quality and grade. For the vines of red varieties, as they have better resistance, we plant them at the lowest levels of the estate, which partially delays the harvest. All of the estate's vineyards are planted according to the royal system. We do a short pruning, leaving only two buds per head and only three buds on each arm. We perform manual pruning (pruning in green) and we prune the grass by hand, as well as the branches. For the most sensitive white varieties (Macabeo, Chardonnay and Malvasia), we carry out occasional leaf stripping to obtain more sun, and aeration of the grapes, while seeking a balance with the leaf surface necessary for a significant transformation into sugars. . We have treated the vines in an ecological way, always reducing the maximum levels of inputs (copper and sulfur), seeking that the vines acquire resistance on their own. We have chosen not to plow the vines to create plant cover: to obtain competition for water in winter and spring, to limit erosion, and to maintain the fauna that is beneficial to us. It is only in some cases that we have gone beyond the interceptions, looking for the vine to achieve balance on its own, without forcing the plant to produce in a way that would result in a drop in quality. We use the technique of mating confusion, by distributing pheromones in different points of the plots, against the woodworm. We mow the grass 2 or 3 times a year. The vineyards have the certificate of organic production (CCPAE). We grow these varieties of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Macabeo Pinot Noir Xarello Malvasia Garnacha Tinta The Clot the Soleres named after one of the plots of the field Heredad Ferrer de la Vall. The Ferrer de la Vall estate farm has been known since the 16th century. The house has fermentation tanks, the result of the various extensions carried out during the 16th and 17th centuries. Around 1880, a separate building was built, dedicated to the production of wine, with fermentation tanks and 1000 liter barrels for storage. We know that they had succeeded in transforming around 1300 to 1800 loads of grapes into 1600-2000 Hl of wine, depending on the year. When the phylloxera reached Piera, around 1888, part of the land was abandoned due to economic problems and lack of manpower. Throughout the twentieth century, the wine production process gradually declined until the late 1970s and early 1980s. At that time, wine production ceased permanently on a commercial basis; and the decision was to sell all the grape production to the major cava producers in the region. In the year 2000, we bet on the recovery of the old family tradition of winemaking by planting new vineyards. In 2006 we remodeled the old winery, preserving its structure, now with modern machinery and stainless steel vats. The cellar project was born from the desire to make the field work in the vineyard worthy. The price of grapes sold to large wineries in the region does not recognize the work of the farmer or the quality of the grapes. Thus, the project to produce a quality artisanal wine was born from the desire to respect and reflect the work in the vineyards of Can Ferrer de la Vall. Clot de les Soleres produced exclusively with its own grapes. In 2008, we released the first wine under the brand Clot de les Soleres. At the Clot de les Soleres cellar, we make exclusively natural wines , that is to say without removing or adding anything, without added sulphites or any other oenological additive. Our wines have different characteristics from one year to another, depending on the climatic variations of the vineyard. We carry out the entire process ourselves in order to guarantee the origin and quality of our product: - organic cultivation of the vines, - manual harvesting and transport in crates, - production of wines without any type of additive and following the biodynamic calendar, - bottling and labeling. All our vineyards are located within the Heretat Ferrer de la Vall estate, which results in a very low production of high quality grapes.