HISTORICAL ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION

The Rovellats Masia (farmhouse) is today composed a group of rural buildings which give their name to the vicinity of Rovellats in the Sant Martí Sarroca region ("Catalan Encyclopedia").

Rovellats is toponymic and as such appears at the beginning of the XIV century (1303) and also in the Municipal Charter of 1553. It may possibly be a toponym stemming from the repopulation by inhabitants from the Vallés region, although its origins date back to the Ibero-Roman civilisation. Numerous groups of inhabitants, closely linked to agricultural activities in the Penedés region, sttled in the vicinity around the Vía Augusta. In 1951, Pedro Giró i Romeu noted certain Ibero-Roman findings in the publication entitled "Identification of Roman Roads in the Penedés (Martorell, 1951).

The etymologie of Rovellats is found in an adjective derived from the Catalan "rovell" which in turn comes from the Latin "robiculu, probably due to the humidity of the area where the estate is located (on a meander of the Pontons stream which runs into the Foix river), which also demonstrates its existence dating from antiquity.

The estate is composed of a group of buildings whose remainings mediaval architecture is partially hidden by reforms and later additions (vestiges of the X to the XV centuries) which comprise an enclosed area with beatiful gardens, a chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat and some interesting caves with an original radial structure (Joan Roselló i Raventós, architect, Villafranca del Penedés, November 1987).


THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Having completed 500 years of its existence as a toponym, the continuation of the prestige of the Rovellats estate and the seriousness of this family venture, now in its third generation dedicated to the elaboration of sparkling wines, are guaranteed. The family history and tradition over the centuries have marked the personality of our wines, slected the best wine-growing land from among the 210 hectareas of vineyards of the Rovellats estate. In addition, all of our products carry the seal of "gran reserva" and ageing which varies from a minimum of two to five years, allowing the aroma and bouquet to fully develop and leading to an organoleptically optimum product.

Our presence in the Spain market is concentrated in high and mid-range restaurants and speciality shops and does not include large supermarket chains.

Tradition, consistency and exclusive dedication to the preparation of genuine sparkling wines are the basics followed by Rovellats to maintain its prestige in the marketplace, especially in EEC countries (such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Denmark), Canada and Japan.


THE ESTATE

Rovellats, which dates from the XV century, is owned by a family which has been devoted for three generations to the preparation of Sparkling Wines by completely artisan methods, modelled after the classic and traditional "methode champenoise". The estate, at the foot of the caves, covers a total of 210 hectareas.


THE VINEYARDS

The grapes cultivated in our vineyards, all authorised by the Regulatory Council of Sparkling Wines and included under the Penedés Denomination of Origin, are the following:

Chardonnay: A grape from the Borgoña variety of the type used to make Chammpagne. Produces mild, dry wines with body and a particularly intense and fruity aroma. The racemes are very compact and tightly packed containing small green grapes.

Macabeo: Produces fine and aromatic wines with a velvety flavour. The racemes are large and compact containing green grapes with fragile and delicte skin.

Xarel.lo: Contributes body and freshness to base wine. The grape with the highest sugar content. The racemes are loose and medium-sized with a beatiful golden colour. Produces the robust structure needed by the base mixture. Produces a solid and moderate wine without being neutral; with a notable alcohol level and high acidity which makes it ideal for supporting the group qualities.

The vine varieties used for rose wines are as follows:

Monastrell: Produces full, silky wine with body and equilibrium. Low acidity and high sugar content.

Tempranillo: Produces full and balanced wine with a rather low strength and a very mild bouquet.

Both vines have black and tightly packed racemes, although those of the second are somewhat more loosely packed. The must of both is extracted through light pressing. To obtain the pink colour, grape skin is added to the must during fermentation since it is the skin which contains the colouring material. This is the base for exceptional quality rose sparkling wine with a delicate aroma.

The vines of the traditional varieties such as the Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada are between 30 and 60 years old. The average production of these vines is approximately 7,500 kg/lts, well below the average productivity in the Penedés region and therefore, of an excellent quality.

Both premises justify the permanent quality of the product since the old vines have a great radical extension which cushions the climatological deficits occurring throughout the year. All of these factors make the grapes grown in the Rovellats vineyards balanced, thereby eliminating the need to make any corrections in the winery. The result is a sparkling wine which is completely natural from start to finish. Moreover, the output in the preparation of base wine is only 45% (using a pneumatic band press) yielding a truly "flower" must.