Ninet de Pena

Les Vignerons de Cases de Pene. Cellier d'Agly. Château de Pena.

The cooperative winery in Cases de Pene, a tiny village in the Roussillon region of Southern France, goes by many names, but with its Catalan culture, most Americans simply call it "Peña".

Situated less than 10 miles from the city of Perpignan, in the Agly Valley of the Pyrénées, the name "Cases de Pene" is a derivation of the Catalan for "house of stones". It is a hot, rugged, wind-swept place with distinctive, marne and black schistic soils.

Five growers jointly own the vineyards of the original Château. Another five grow wine full-time for a living, and every other family in the village owns a few acres. With nearly 1,000 acres under vines and an annual production of almost 150,000 cases per year, it is not a small operation! Though almost half of the production is of the region's sweet, fortified wines (much of which is still sold in bulk), sales of dry table wines in bottle and 3L bag-in-box continue to grow and have become a sizable portion of the business. The heart and soul of Peña is winemaker Joseph "Tony" Gonzalez, who has 20+ years experience at Peña, a brilliant flair for winemaking, and an instinctive and profound knowledge of the vineyards and terroir. He has been offered more money by private producers, but loves his job and is entirely content dealing with the growers and crafting the wines at Peña.

In addition to producing wines for the Cuvée de Peña and Château de Pena brands, the cooperative winery in Cases de Pene offers a full selection of red, white and rosé wines under the Ninet de Pena label. These young, fruit-forward wines are loaded with personality and have a long track record of delivering outstanding value.