Four Spanish wineries have just been recognized among the 100 best in the world by the experts of the prestigious North American magazine Wine&Spirits. In its Top 100 Wineries of 2022, wineries are chosen from different wine-growing regions around the world. From Spain, only Suertes del Marqués (from the Orotava Valley in Tenerife), Tempos Vega Sicilia (Ribera del Duro), Viñedos Sierra Cantabria (Rioja) and Can Sumoi (Penedès) have been chosen.
The American publication, which has more than 35 years of history and is specialized in the wine sector, compiles the list of the 100 best based on the quality of the wines tasted during the year through a blind tasting procedure. In the classification of the best wineries in the world, there are also historical and renowned wineries such as Bollinger, Krug, Louis Jadot, Guigal, Sandrone, Ornellaia, Donhoff, Royal Tokaji and Graham's. With up to 18 wineries on the list, France heads the Top 100 Wineries of 2022 above Italy, with 14 representatives.
In this edition, thousands of producers have been blind-tasted again. Every year, Wine&Spirits produces a buying guide on the Top wines and wineries of the year (Annual Buying Guide-Fall 2022), published in its autumn issue. Those chosen are selected from thousands of winemakers by the tasting team that blindly examines and evaluates the possible candidates.
Can Sumoi, the wine cellar run by Pepe Raventós, has achieved this recognition in just 5 years of experience, despite the fact that the magazine had already scored its organic and biodynamic wines on several occasions. Can Sumoi, a project parallel to that of the Raventós i blanc sparkling wines from Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, was born in 2017, from Pepe Raventós' passion for ecological wines and "pursuing one of our main purposes: to recover varieties and vineyards lost in the heart of the Penedès”.
The family that owns Raventós i Blanc acquired this unique estate that had been abandoned to its fate for years, since 2000. They also collaborate with local winegrowers who work in certified organic farming.
Can Sumoi takes its name from an integrated estate in the Baix Penedès dating from 1645 in the Serra de l'Home, in Montmell, 600 meters above sea level, where they are recovering 20 hectares of vineyards with an average age of 50 years within the framework of a 400-hectare farm (300 of which are forest). Pepe Raventós adds that “we make wine and we do ecology; That is why we help protect this forest.” Theirs are organic and natural wines made with the least possible intervention (without oenological additives or sulfur) in all processes, both viticulture and vinification.
As good as it may be to have 4 in the top 100, I am amazed that there are only 4...I can only imagine that many vineyards were not represented in the tasting as I am more than confident that Spanish wines such as Muga or Pago de Carraovejas, Marques de Murrieta and many many more would have been up there at the top and leading the world in quality. In fact, you only need to see how poorly represented Spanish wine is abroad and it all starts to make sense. Unfortunately for some, and fortunately for the Spanish, most of its best wines stay in Spain.