The Wine cellar
At Mastinell, we believe there is only one way to perfect the art of wine and cava making; do it with love, dedication, and respect for the environment.
En Mastinell trabajamos con mimo, dedicación y respeto por el medio ambiente. Solo así podemos ser el Atelier del Cava.
Cavas and wines from Penedés
Mastinell is a small winery, producing cavas and wines bursting with Mediterranean spirit. The Sant Pau hill shelters our privileged and fertile fields from northern winds, creating the perfect, temperate microclimate for our cavas and wines.
A history of commitment and dedication accompanies innovation and creativity on our journey to create wines and cavas worthy of the region’s traditions. Our modern outlook blends with the respect for the traditions of the lands where we work. This tenacity has propelled us to heights unattainable by many: being part of the top ten most prestigious cavas in the Penedés area.
The Cava Artist’s Workshop
Vine growing plays a fundamental role in the heart of the Penedés region, a place with no other boundaries other than the sea breeze, the mountains, and the Mediterranean sun. Today, Mastinell holds hands with the winemaking traditions of the past and steps confidently into the future. We know no other way. Our future is one where the fruits of the land continue to provide wines and cavas brimming with our trademark quality and passion.
Mastinell wines are continually lauded, garnering numerous awards around the globe. The special care we take of our processes, from grape to glass, results in wines and cavas that deserve savoring at exceptional moments. Carpe Diem.
AWARDS
Cava making process
Our vineyards are the living and breathing embodiment of the Mediterranean weather, a climate that breathes gently over our organically cultivated vineyards. We have eliminated herbicides and restrict to a minimum the use of phytosanitary products (pesticides). The combination of traditional techniques, beautiful grapes, and state-of-the-art production technology ensures we create premium products.
By harvesting by hand, we treat each vine as the treasure it is, selecting only the very best bunches from each plant. Without that initial love and respect, we cannot make our cavas and wines.
We have cultivated deep-rooted relationships with several winegrowers in the Penedés area, all of whom buy into our ecological and sustainability ethos. These architects of the landscape share the best harvests from their unseen plots with us, offering perfect fruits from unique and special zones that guarantee excellent crops every year.
At Mastinell, we are proud of our native varieties and make our cavas from Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada, and Trepat. Always outwards-looking, our innovative soul has also blended Chardonnay into some of our cavas for that international touch.
Once the entire production is complete, the coupage (blend) is bottled. It is then left to rest en rima – the cava bottles are laid horizontally in riddling racks during fermentation to obtain their real character. Time is as valued as the process, which is why all of our Reserva cavas age for three years and Gran Reservas for 3-12 years.
XAREL·LO
Large, uncluttered grapes. Silky, full-bodied wine; brings consistency to blends.
MACABEO
Grape with large, clustered bunches. It produces balanced wines with pleasant acidity.
PARELLADA
Large grapes on bunches with many stalks. Subtle, delicate, and spicy aroma.
CHARDONNAY
Small, crowded grape clusters. Powerful aromas and silky body.
Production processes
The harvest
Our manual harvests usually begin around the start of August, the optimum date determined by our experts, who monitor the grapes daily. We use small boxes that carry 18 kilos/40lb maximum to protect the grapes at all times.
Labelling
Selection 
Selection
Hand harvesting ensures only the best fruits leave the vineyards. Commitment to quality compels us to perform a second visual check and manual selection once the grapes arrive at the winery, allowing us to remove any stems, leaves, or unsuitable grapes.
The harvest
Pressing/separation
Pressing and separation
The grapes pass through a light pressing at low pressure via our innovative pneumatic press, protecting the must at all times by eliminating all oxygen. After pressing, the must is clarified naturally by sedimentation. We leave the must to rest for 24 hours so that any sediment settles at the bottom of the tank.
Selection
Alcoholic fermentation
Alcoholic fermentation
It takes almost three weeks, thanks to the yeast's natural work, for the sugar in the grape to transform into alcohol. Every variety is vinified separately, allowing each to express its nuances fully.
Pressing and separation
Traditional method - second fermentation
Coupage
January is a magical month for us, the moment the meticulous design of each cava takes place. After intense tasting sessions, we harmonize the best coupage of our base wines.
Traditional method - second fermentation
After clarifying the base wine, we bottle it with sugar and yeast for its second fermentation; this also takes place in the bottle, known as tirage, or tiraje in Spanish. Naturally generated carbon dioxide gas gets trapped inside the bottle and is responsible for the wine becoming a sparkling cava.
Alcoholic fermentation
Remuage
Aging
The bottles are placed en rima — literally ‘in rhyme’ — the cava bottles laid horizontally in riddling racks in our cellars at a depth of up to 12 meters for their second fermentation. Once complete, the aging process begins, a period in which the cava rests and matures quietly over several years. We feel the long aging showcases our cavas and the region’s potential at their best.
Remuage (riddling)
With the aging process complete (Reservas 3 years, Gran Reservas 3-12 years), our staff gently move each bottle by hand. We take great care to ensure that the yeast comes away gently from the bottle's inside to protect and favor the cava's final taste. Over several days, each bottle is moved slightly until it eventually ends up in a vertical position, with all the sediment in the bottle's neck.
Traditional method - second fermentation
Labelling
Disgorging
With the bottle upright, the neck is frozen and the top removed; the pressure inside the bottle pushes out the sediment. The bottle is topped up with some of the same cava if it is one of our Natures and corked. Sometimes, a finely measured licor de expedición — a mixture of cava and sugar — is added. This addition determines the final sugar concentration of our sparkling wines.
Labelling
Finally, we suit and boot every bottle with its immediately recognizable label. Transparency is one of our fundamental values, so every cava has its disgorgement date stamped on the label. All that’s left is to send the cavas to our customers, wishing them equal enjoyment in drinking the cava as we experienced creating it.
Remuage
The harvest
Cavas
Mediterranean vines, careful pressing, and a long aging process are what define our wines. They evolve slowly in the quietness of our cellar until bursting out to become one of our exceptional Reserva or Gran Reserva cavas. These award-winning cavas are garlanded year after year with prestigious awards that recognize their quality.
Wines
The exquisite care we take of our vineyard delivers an exceptional terroir to the Mediterranean grapes we use for our wines. We follow the natural way of life the land commands, and we defer to its needs and 2,000 years of winemaking history. With just grapes and the sun, Mastinell is a benchmark of outstanding wines.
Contact
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NIRTC: HB-004559
