{"id":295559,"date":"2026-06-12T16:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/?p=295559"},"modified":"2026-06-12T16:19:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:19:34","slug":"sumoll-forcada-moneu-ancient-varieties-penedes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/sumoll-forcada-moneu-ancient-varieties-penedes\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Moneu, Forcada and Sumoll: ancient varieties to understand the future of wine<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The past returning to the vineyard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In some old vineyards, along field margins or in small family plots, there are vines that have survived almost forgotten. Some resisted the passing of time, phylloxera, abandonment and decades of viticulture focused on more productive or easier-to-grow varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, these vines are speaking again. And what they tell us is that the future of wine can also be born from the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to recover an ancestral variety?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recovery of an ancestral variety begins with a commitment to research and investigation. The first step is to locate old vines that have survived in the territory. From these vines, small living parts are collected, such as canes or buds, which make it possible to reproduce the variety and plant it again. In viticulture, this is known as plant material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, its DNA is analysed, its ampelographic characteristics are studied, and it is verified whether it is truly a distinct variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the variety proves to be of interest, the plant material is sanitised, multiplied in nurseries and planted in experimental plots. For years, the behaviour of the vine is observed: its resistance to drought and heat, its ripening, acidity, production and the potential of the wines it can produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a long process, but a necessary one. Before a variety can be legally planted and commercialised, it must be shown to be genetically unique, stable, agronomically interesting and capable of producing quality wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moneu and Forcada: recovered heritage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moneu and Forcada are part of this recovered viticultural heritage. They are varieties that had been almost forgotten and that, thanks to years of research, observation and microvinifications, have been able to return to the vineyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of Moneu, its origin is fairly well documented. It was found near Querol, in Alt Camp, in the late 1990s, and its name is linked to the place name \u201cCoster del Moneu\u201d. Forcada, on the other hand, has a less clear origin, although its name seems to be related to Catalan place names associated with forked shapes, like a fork or a Y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both cases, the name preserves the memory of the place where these varieties survived for decades before being recovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Forcada variety. Planted in Les Torres Estate. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Malvasia de Sitges variety. Planted in Les Torres Estate. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Moneu variety. Planted in Les Valls Estate. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sumoll: more than recovery, a revaluation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sumoll has a different story. It never completely disappeared from the Pened\u00e8s, but for many years it was pushed into the background. It was considered a difficult, rustic, low-yielding variety, with irregular quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, several winegrowers and producers showed that, when well worked, Sumoll could produce very distinctive, fresh and vibrant wines, deeply connected to the Pened\u00e8s landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why, in the case of Sumoll, we do not speak so much of recovery as of revaluation: a historic variety returning to the place it deserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Sumoll. August. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Sumoll. August. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sumoll. May. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How we grow and make wines from Sumoll, Moneu and Forcada at Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, we have been working with Moneu and Forcada since 2019. The first vinification was made with the 2021 harvest, in the midst of a period of severe drought. Both the 2021 and 2022 vintages were experimental elaborations, and it was finally the 2023 harvest that, in 2026, was released onto the market under the names Natiu Forcada and Natiu Moneu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moneu is planted as bush vines in the Cal Jepet vineyard, on the slopes of the Serra d\u2019Ancosa, in Torrelles de Foix, at 450 metres above sea level. Forcada is also planted as bush vines in the Creu de Subal vineyard, in the Serra d\u2019Ancosa, in Pontons, at 750 metres above sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Sumoll, at Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0 we have vinified it since the 2017 harvest. We began planting it in 2015 in the Les Valls vineyard, grafting American rootstocks on a slope located beside the farmhouse. Later, in 2019, we regrafted the vineyard in front of the winery, replacing Merlot with Sumoll and choosing a vertical spiral training system known as twister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, we discovered that within the grafted plant material there were grapes of two different sizes: small-berried Sumoll and large-berried Sumoll. From this diversity, two wines are born: Neol\u00edtic, made with small-berried Sumoll, and Grosella, made with large-berried Sumoll from a vineyard near Pacs del Pened\u00e8s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient varieties for a new climate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the great values of these varieties is their role in the current context of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcada maintains high acidity even in warm years and has a long ripening cycle, which helps produce fresh white wines in a context of rising temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moneu shows good resistance to drought, tolerates high temperatures well and makes it possible to produce balanced wines, with good acidity and moderate alcohol levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sumoll, as a Mediterranean variety historically adapted to conditions of heat and water scarcity, produces wines with tension, natural freshness and tannins that evolve very well in bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are varieties that tend to accumulate sugars moderately, making it possible to obtain wines with contained alcohol levels, between 11 and 12.5%, and vibrant acidity. This profile fits very well with the climatic moment we are living through and also with the style of wine the market is increasingly seeking: fluid, light, fresh wines, with fruit and low to moderate alcohol levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the future from the territory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, we understand these varieties as a way of listening to the territory. It is not only about recovering old names or looking back with nostalgia. It is about observing what the vineyard can teach us, which varieties are best adapted to our landscape, and how we can produce wines that are more honest, more Mediterranean and better prepared for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moneu, Forcada and Sumoll are living memories of the Pened\u00e8s. But they are also a possible answer to the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Finca
Les Torres Estate at 800 m above sea level. Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0. Grenache vineyard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moneu, Forcada and Sumoll: ancient varieties to understand the future of wine The past returning to the vineyard In some old vineyards, along field margins or in small family plots, there are vines that have survived almost forgotten. Some resisted the passing of time, phylloxera, abandonment and decades of viticulture focused on more productive or…<\/p>\n

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