What followed was a decade-long fight to prove that Penedès — a poor, rural corner of Catalonia with more than 3,000 years of winemaking history — deserves its own appellation, its own identity, and a place at the table with the greatest sparkling wines in the world. Along the way, Pepe planted Pinot Noir in the wrong place, discovered an abandoned farm nearly converted to a chicken factory, and learned to make wine in a garage underneath his bedroom.