D.O.Ca Priorat

Wine tourism in D.O.C. PRIORAT

Nine villages make up the Qualified Designation of Origin, which is divided into twelve wine-growing areas, and a total of 109 wineries make red, white and rosé wines of the Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin.

A unique area for unique wines

If there is one thing the Priorat has, it is exceptionality. No one, during a walk through this territory, can fail to notice that they are facing a singular landscape, with characteristics that clearly distinguish it from any other place, even though it may have orographic or agronomic similarities with other locations.

It is the evident sign of the effort of working an austere and difficult terrain, which can only be transformed into a special landscape. After all, the main characteristic that defines the landscape of the DOCa Priorat is uniformity: any of the estates, hills, slopes, streams, small orchards, paths… even the little farm huts or the country houses (masías) have a characteristic and authentic touch that identifies them with what is the essence of the Priorat. One knows they are in a specific and defined space, a territory with pedigree, tradition and landscape spectacularity.

The land and the climate

The DOCa Priorat forms a compact and well-defined landscape unit, made up of the great mountain amphitheatre that extends at the foot of the Montsant range, by the slate lithology of its slopes and by the treatment that has always been given in this land to the agricultural sphere, which has remained almost intact until recent times.

Zones

The DOCa Priorat is made up of 12 wine-growing zones, the different villages. Each of the villages that make up the DOCa Priorat responds to geographical, environmental, climatic, wine-growing, social, historical and economic variables, through which the social root of the wine is identified with the cultural roots of each village and the wine is identified with each of its social realities, which go beyond the existing administrative boundaries.

The villages that make up the DOCa Priorat are Bellmunt del Priorat, Gratallops, el Lloar, la Morera de Montsant, Porrera, Poboleda, Scala Dei, Torroja del Priorat, la Vilella Alta, la Vilella Baixa and the areas of Masos de Falset and les Solanes del Molar.

Microclimates

The Penedès Designation of Origin has a great diversity of microclimates, a consequence of its coastal proximity and its altitude. The climate is typically Mediterranean, that is, mild and warm. The Maritime Penedès area (Baix Penedès and Garraf) is more temperate due to the influence and proximity of the sea. The Upper Penedès (Alt Penedès, Alt Camp, Anoia and Baix Llobregat) enjoys more frequent rainfall and greater contrast between maximum and minimum temperatures. The Central Penedès (mainly Alt Penedès) is the combination of both microclimates.

The cultivation of the vine is distributed at altitudes ranging from 100 metres above sea level in the lowest parts of the municipalities of Bellmunt del Priorat and el Molar, to 750 metres in the elevated parts of the municipalities of la Morera de Montsant and Porrera. The layout of the cultivation is characterised by slopes exceeding a 15% gradient in most cases, and some estates reach 60%. The tortuous geography of this area forces the vineyard to be cultivated on slopes ("costers" in the Catalan language), some of which do not allow mechanical access. For this reason, work is carried out following the most traditional forms of cultivation.

The recommended and the authorised varieties in the Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin are the following:

Recommended red varieties: garnacha tinta, cariñena.

Authorised red varieties: garnacha peluda, tempranillo, picapoll negre, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, pinot noir, merlot and syrah.

White varieties: garnacha blanca, macabeo, Pedro Ximénez, chenin blanc, moscatel de Alejandría, moscatel de grano menudo, blanquilla, picapoll blanc and viognier.

Garnacha and Cariñena, stars of a select array of varieties.

The most cultivated varieties in the Priorat are the reds, with garnacha and cariñena as the most prominent native varieties.

THE VILLAGE WINES

The village wines, those made from grapes of a single village, are an expression of the bond of these wines with the territory. By the beginning of 2013, more than twenty wines had already been registered as Village Wines ("Vins de Vila"), a good example of the commitment to quality and typicity that the wineries of the DOCa Priorat continue to make.

The aim of this project is to take a step forward in reinforcing the identity of the villages of this designation of origin, strengthening even further their bonds with their wines. In fact, one of the characteristics of Priorat wines most valued by experts is their high fidelity to the soil of origin, that is, to the terroir.

Experiences to enjoy in D.O. Priorat

Discover this wine-growing region located in the province of Tarragona.