The importance of the distilled spirits sector in Catalan viticulture in the 18th and 19th centuries

Abstract

From the end of the 17th century, the production and export of distilled spirits from wine has been one of the most dynamic sectors of the Catalan economy. At the end of the 18th century, this trade got into crisis and gave prominence to table wine exports. Throughout the article, we defend the hypothesis that the replacement was possible thanks to a new winemaking, product of the advances in chemistry, which provided, on the one hand, the necessary instruments for the preservation of wines, and, secondly, making wines adapted to different markets thanks to coupages and imitation wines. It was within this framework that the production of spirits again played a fundamental role for fortifying wines that were destined for exports and for all kinds of coupages and imitations, for which they were an indispensable ingredient.