Parellada, highly regarded white grape variety originally Aragonese but now grown almost exclusively in Catalunya, especially around San Sadurn’I d’Anoia on just under 8,000 ha/20,000 acres in 2012 where it is widely used, with macabeo and xarel-lo, for the production of cava. It is the least planted of these three varieties in penedès, the region most closely associated with these Spanish sparkling wines. Parellada can produce aromatic, high-quality wine when grown in relatively poor soil and in cooler conditions. It has large, loose bunches, buds early, and ripens late. Occasionally made as a varietal still wine.
