In Catalonia, DO status was first created in 1999, and it became the first regional production area in Spain, which united all vineyards not included in any of the 11 existing DOs at that time. The capital of Catalonia is Barcelona, ​​the second largest city in Spain with one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. Its seaside location has certainly contributed to the development of local winemaking. Catalonia has a wide variety of winemaking traditions. It is believed that the skills of viticulture were first introduced by the Phoenicians and Greeks around 400 BC. e. The Romans then expanded viticulture and the industry flourished until the Moorish occupation. Then the vineyards were abandoned or given for other purposes. Later Christians revived viticulture in the territories adjacent to the monasteries. Until the end of the 18th century, wine and spirits were among the most important exports in the region. Since then, Catalonia has established itself as a dynamically developing wine region.