The terroir at Can Bas is influenced by the natural environment and the interplay between sky, land and vine. This dialogue between forces, conditions and means is what makes the landscape and the wines what they are.
In this environment the rivers, streams and forests exert a special influence.
The rivers and streams that cross Can Bas form a natural network of waterways that are intermittent and torrential by nature, very common in the Penedès and many other areas of the Mediterranean. They are essential for the good drainage of the vines. These little corridors of green which normally form pools and small depressions on the plain, have a very distinctive microclimate and ecosystem with characteristic woodland, flora and fauna.
The rivers create concentrations of moisture, retaining their coolness in summer and conjuring up fog in the winter. Additionally they deposit sandy and alluvial soils, which give a special character to the vineyards.
In contrast Mediterranean woodland – which is quite different to riverbank woodland – provides the backdrop to the Penedes vineyards and another important influencing factor.
On the Can Bas estate, the forest forms a strip, which extends North-west and protects the vines growing on the plain from unseasonal winds and the cold.
The woodlands at Can Bas are distinctive dark oases in a vista of vines. They are part of our heritage. There are ancient pine trees, oaks, wild olive trees with an undergrowth of viburnum, boxwood, heather, thyme, ivy and ferns.
In the midst of a vast expanse of vineyards, the Can Bas woodland provides a natural refuge for fauna that wouldn’t be able to survive in open country.
It’s the forest as much as the animals that live in it that give life to the vineyards.