Exploring Maset Wines Heritage, Craft and the Origen Range

Wine, at its most compelling, tells a story of place. Beyond the grape varieties and the techniques employed in the cellar, every bottle carries traces of the landscape, the people who cultivate it and the traditions that shape its character. For Maset, a Spanish family winery with roots in Catalonia, this connection between land and legacy has been central to its identity for generations.

The Massana family’s documented history as winegrowers dates to 1390, when Ramon Maçana was recorded as a farmer in Sant Pere Molanta, in the Penedès region. The family’s connection to the Maset del Lleó estate followed centuries later, with the manor house built in 1777. Since then, generations of the family have continued to cultivate vineyards and produce wine, carrying their knowledge forward while adapting to the changing landscape of the wine industry.

This long history is not simply a matter of chronology. It informs the way Maset approaches its craft today, balancing inherited knowledge with contemporary practices and a commitment to expressing the character of its vineyards.

In defence of its own style

Maset’s philosophy is built around three central principles: sustainable agriculture, minimally interventionist winemaking and respect for the environment. Together, they reflect the winery’s belief that quality begins in the vineyard, long before the grapes reach the cellar.

For more than 30 years, Maset has worked its vineyards using traditional, sustainable agricultural practices designed to minimise intervention. The winery avoids pesticides and herbicides in its day-to-day vineyard work, with the aim of preserving biodiversity and protecting soil health. It has also begun transitioning its vineyards and those of its winegrowers towards organic cultivation.

Attention to detail continues throughout the growing season. The winery monitors the development of its vines, from flowering and fruit set to ripening, before assessing grape maturity in the days leading up to harvest. These observations help determine the appropriate time to pick each variety according to the style of wine being produced.

In the cellar, the same considered approach guides production. Maset avoids aggressive pressing systems, limits extraction yields to below 60 percent and uses selected native yeasts to help preserve the character of the grapes and their origins. Plant-based clarifying agents, including pea and potato proteins, make its wines vegan-friendly, while the winery also seeks to limit additives and unnecessary handling.

Environmental responsibility extends beyond the vineyards and cellar. Initiatives include reducing bottle weight to save glass, using recycled paper for publications and exploring electric vehicles for deliveries. A bottle-collection programme, introduced in 2024, further reflects the winery’s interest in circular practices and reducing its environmental footprint.

For Maset, these measures are part of a broader philosophy rather than a separate sustainability narrative. The intention is to make wines that remain approachable and expressive while respecting the natural environment in which they are produced.

Three territories, one winemaking philosophy

Although Penedès remains the heart of Maset’s operations, the winery’s work extends across three important Spanish wine regions: Penedès, Priorat and La Rioja. Each offers a different landscape and set of growing conditions, allowing the winery to explore a broader spectrum of regional character while maintaining a shared approach to quality and tradition.

In Penedès, south-west of Barcelona, the winery produces an extensive range of cavas alongside Mediterranean-style reds, whites and rosés. The family’s vineyards encompass different slopes, soils and microclimates, creating opportunities to work with both Mediterranean and Atlantic grape varieties.

Priorat presents a more dramatic landscape, where vines grow along steep slopes and terraces of slate. Here, Maset’s work centres on traditional viticulture, including the cultivation of native varieties suited to the region’s demanding terrain.

Further north-east, the winery’s La Rioja project, established in 2012, brings another dimension to the portfolio. Based in Haro, in the historic Barrio de la Estación, it combines traditional winemaking practices with techniques intended to improve quality while preserving the area’s viticultural heritage.

These distinct territories share a common thread: an appreciation of the relationship between landscape, grape and craft. Rather than imposing a single expression across every wine, Maset’s regional presence allows it to explore different interpretations of Spanish winemaking within its broader philosophy.

Origen: a tribute to heritage

The Origen range brings Maset’s philosophy into focus through wines that pay homage to the traditions and landscapes from which they emerge. The name itself evokes beginnings, ancestry and a connection to place, themes that run through the range’s individual expressions.

The three wines presented here come from the 2020 harvest and carry the DO Catalunya designation. Each has its own blend and personality, yet all share an emphasis on fruit, approachability and a sense of continuity with the past.

The red is a tribute to the generations who worked the land, transforming rocky terrain into the vineyard landscape seen today. The rosé explores the meeting of inherited knowledge and contemporary techniques, while the white looks further back to the artisanal production methods of historic Penedès wineries.

Together, they offer three perspectives on the same idea: that wine can preserve a sense of history without remaining fixed in it. Tradition becomes a living practice, carried forward through each harvest and expressed anew in the bottle.

Three wines to discover

Origen Red 2020

Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo | DO Catalunya | 13.5% ABV

With its brilliant ruby colour and violet reflections, Origen Red opens with aromas of red and black fruit, notably picota cherry and blackberry. Toasted red pepper and black pepper introduce a savoury, herbal and spicy dimension, while notes reminiscent of strawberry yoghurt and anise add further complexity. The palate is balanced, smooth and fruity, leading to a long finish marked by lingering spice.

The wine’s character reflects the range’s tribute to the land and the generations who shaped its agricultural heritage.

Serving temperature: 12-14°C
Suggested pairing: Wild rice salad with mushrooms.

Origen Rosé 2020

Garnacha Tinta and Tempranillo | DO Catalunya | 12.5% ABV

Pale pink with salmon reflections, Origen Rosé offers a lively aromatic profile of strawberry and redcurrant, complemented by floral notes of mimosa and a hint of anisette. A lollipop-like sweetness appears in the aromatic impression, while the palate remains light and fruity, finishing with a refreshing note of fresh herbs.

Its combination of fruit and floral character captures the range’s meeting point between traditional winemaking knowledge and a contemporary, refreshing style.

Serving temperature: 8-10°C
Suggested pairing: Warm Brie with red fruits.

Origen White 2020

Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca and Xarel·lo | DO Catalunya | 12% ABV

Pale yellow with green-hued reflections, Origen White presents aromas of pear, peach and banana, layered with lemon, jasmine and fresh-cut herbs. On the palate, it is smooth, fresh and fruit-forward, with a long finish that introduces a gentle bitterness.

Its blend of three grape varieties and its connection to traditional Penedès production methods make it an expression of the region’s enduring winemaking culture.

Serving temperature: 6-8°C
Suggested pairing: Hake fillet en papillote.

Note: These tasting notes and technical details refer specifically to the 2020 harvest described in the supplied product sheets. Current releases may differ in grape composition and profile.

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For more information, visit maset.com.