D.O. Costers del Segre

DO area in the province of Lérida in the Spanish region of Catalonia. It is named after the river Segre, a tributary of the Ebro. The area was born in 1914, when Manuel Raventós began to cultivate vineyards in the formerly desert-like arid zone by means of artificial irrigation systems and earth filling, and later founded the large winery or Raïmat Winery (owned by the Cava House Codorníu), which is probably unique in Spain. The classification was made in 1988 and the area consists of the four subzones Artesa, Les Garrigues and Vall de Riucorb, as well as the smallest demarcated Raimat.

The continental climate is characterized by cold winters and hot summers. There are extreme temperature fluctuations, high solar radiation and low precipitation. The vineyards cover about 4,200 hectares of vineyards on brownish limestone soils interspersed with granite. The main red wine varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnatxa Negra(Garnacha Tinta), Merlot, Monastrell, Pinot Noir, Samsó(Mazuelo), Syrah, Trepat and Ull de Llebre(Tempranillo). The main white wine varieties are Albariño(Alvarinho), Chardonnay, Garnatxa Blanca(Garnacha Blanca), Macabeo, Müller-Thurgau, Parellada, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Xarello.