wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Unfortunately there is no information about D.O.Q Priorat available.
D.O.Q Priorat

Description to D.O.Q Priorat

The DOCa area (Priorat in Catalan) in the middle of the province of Tarragona in the Spanish region of Catalonia is named after the monastery Priorato de Scala Dei (Priorate of the Ladder of God). According to legend, a shepherd boy saw angels descending on a "ladder to heaven" in the middle of the 12th century. As a result, Carthusian monks founded the monastery named after this incident in 1163. Wine is mentioned by the Franciscan monk Francisc Eiximenis (1340-1409) in his work "Lo Crestia". He describes the "decent drinking of wine" and advises mixing the strong wine from the priory with water. Already in the Middle Ages, Priorato was one of the most important wine-growing regions in Spain. The decline began in 1835 when the monks left the monastery. Then, towards the end of the 19th century, phylloxera came and destroyed the then 17,000 hectares of vineyards. Only a small part of it was replanted afterwards.


By Till F. Teenck - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, Link

From the mid-1980s onwards, "young, wild winemakers" such as Álvaro Palacios from the eponymous winery, René Barbier (Clos Mogador), Adrian Garsed, Dafne Glorian and Carles Pastrana (Costers del Siurana) established the area's current fame. However, the biology professor José Luis Pérez (owner of the Mas Martinet and Cims de Porrera wineries) is considered the real discoverer. Through numerous experiments, he recognised the great potential of the Garnatxa (Garnacha Tinta) and Carinyena (Mazuelo) vines, some of which are over 100 years old, which were recultivated and ecologically farmed according to the latest oenological findings. He also acted as a mentor for the winegrowers. French varieties were introduced to complement the autochthonous varieties and new techniques such as barrique ageing were introduced for this area.

Today Priorato covers 1,600 hectares of vineyards in the eleven municipalities of Bellmunt, Falset, Gratallops, La Morena de Montsant, La Vilella, Mola, Lloá, Poboleda, Porrera, Scala Dei and Torroja. It is almost surrounded by the Montsant DO area. The vineyards on terraces or steep slopes are located between 100 and 700 metres above sea level on the Sierra de Montsant, some with extreme slopes. They are among the steepest vineyards in Europe. The climate is mild, with Mediterranean influences and dry summers. The Siurana (Ebro tributary) flows through the area, whose soils, ideally suited for viticulture, are of volcanic origin and consist of small-leaved slate (Llicorella). Due to the special terroir and the often extremely low yields of max. 10 hl/ha and less, the red wines in particular are among the most famous and most expensive in Spain

The most important red wine varieties predominating here are Garnatxa (Garnacha Tinta), Garnacha Peluda, Carinyena (Mazuelo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah; the most important white wine varieties are Garnatxa Blanca (Garnacha Blanca), Macabeu (Macabeo), Pedro Ximénez, Chenin Bl anc and Viognier. The deep-dark, concentrated, tannin- and alcohol-rich red wines (at least 13.75 to 15% alcohol by volume) require at least five years of bottle ageing until they are ready to drink and can be aged for up to 25 years. In 2001, Priorato became the second Spanish region after Rioja to qualify for DOCa status. Well-known producers are Capafons-Ossó, Cartoixa de Montsalvat, Celler Cecilio, Cims de Porrera, Clos Mogador, Clos i Terrasses, Costers del Siurana, Dixneuf, Fuentes (with the brands Finca el Puig, Gran Clos and Vinya Llisarda), Mas d'en Gil, Mas Igneus, Mas Martinet, Álvaro Palacios, Pasanau Germans, Rotllan Torra, Scala Dei, Vall-Llach and Vinicola del Priorat.

In this section you will find
currently 165,387 Wines and 25,033 Producers, including 3,160 classified producers.
Rating system find+buy Tasting samples Editorial schedule

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS