PIWI International is on course for growth and our new regional group PIWI España is already emerging...

Our new member, the Catalan winery Albet i Noya, is once again a pioneer in the field: having pioneered organic viticulture in Spain in 1978, they are once again one step ahead of the development of the Spanish wine scene.

Since wine producer Josep Maria Albet I Noya first became acquainted with PIWIs in France in the late 90s, his spirit of research and his urge to implement this knowledge in his vineyards have raged in him.

Spain was - and will not be - spared from climate change. His will to experiment with resistant grape varieties was all the stronger.

But he wanted to go one step further and breed resistance genetics into the native grape varieties of Catalonia to ensure the regional typicity that consumers here have always been accustomed to.

In 2011, in collaboration with Valentin Blattner, he launched a long-term project to counteract the consequences of climate change and make autochthonous grape varieties more robust: VRIAACC (Variedades Resistentes y Autóctonas Adaptadas al Cambio Climático). The project is based on experimental models from other countries, such as Germany, France, Italy, Austria and the USA, which are pioneers in this field.

In 2013, together with two other wineries, they created an experimental vineyard in the Penedés, in which experiments are mainly carried out with autochthonous grape varieties such as Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Parellada and Grenache.

The result?

  • Over 300,000 hybrids of resistant and autochthonous grape varieties that have proven that it is possible to breed resistant grape varieties while maintaining regional typicity.
  • Excellent results in 2020, a year marked by the largest downy mildew infestation in Catalonia's history. The PIWI vines mastered the challenge with flying colours.

And what happens now?

👉 Continue to research and experiment to prepare the breeds that have proven themselves the most for trial cultivation.

👉 By 2026 at the latest, Albet i Noya want to sell PIWIs from autochthonous grape varieties on a large scale

Albet I Noya brought "La Volada" onto the market for the first time: the first PIWI wine in Spain.

Around 8,000 bottles, which, as the name suggests, are just “flying away”, so great is the enthusiasm among consumers with regard to ecology, a variety of aromas and the great taste.

With this in mind, we look forward to Spain and hope that PIWIs will soon be approved by the authorities and that we can officially found PIWI España as another regional group.

The first cornerstone has been laid and the results speak for themselves.

At this point we would like to thank all our members for their passionate commitment and the lively exchange of valuable experiences in the matter of PIWI.

Take the path into the future of viticulture with PIWI International

In April 2022 Karin Lundberg – Spain
karin.lundberg@piwi-international.org