Priorat: Spain’s Other Wine Region

Priorat Spain's other wine region
A typical Priorat slate mountain, planted without terraces, and a hermitage on top for good measure.

It's comparatively unknown outside of Spain, but the wine region of Priorat is among Spain's oldest producers. Over the past fifteen years, since Priorat was designated a denomination of quality origin (DOQ), Priorat has imported advice, improved quality, and wrapped its head around wine culture and gastronomic tourism. Now, as Spain's only DOQ outside of Rioja, wine tourism in Priorat is beginning to bloom.

During my first visit to Priorat, I realized I have no basis for writing about wine, (other than that I drink wine regularly and write almost as often.) I’ve tasted wine in Napa and Sonoma valleys in California, in Chile’s central valley, and in the Rioja region of Spain. But this visit to Priorat in May 2015 was a turning point–the first time I could taste such an immediate connection between the wine and the ground it comes from.

The Priorat region is located in Tarragona, southwest of Barcelona in the southern area of Catalunya. Elevation ranges from 100 to 700 meters, and the steep mountains are often sheer rock, peppered with pines from time to time. Surrounding Priorat, like a donut around the hole, is the Montsant wine region. The area is fed by the Siurana and Montsant rivers, which fall quickly to join the Ebro River that flows into the Mediterranean near Tarragona, just an hour’s drive away. Together, Priorat, Montsant and Siurana are applying for UNESCO World Heritage designation as a unique and ancient wine growing region.

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Priorat Spain's other wine region
Ruins of the monastery of Escala Dei, home to Carthusian monks and winemakers.

Historically, monks were the wine producers here. Priorat gets its name from the Carthusian monks who were the earliest vintners, cultivating from the 12th Century. Their production was centered on the powerful priory, Scala Dei, meaning stairs to God, so named because of the layered rock formations giving the perception of a stairway toward heaven.

The slate rock soil provides the essence of Priorat wines. The vines grow from dark, densely-layered slate that shows strips of mineral reds and yellows and a glittery quartz. The rocky land gets plenty hot under the sun, and very cool at night as the chilled air whips around the mountains. When you walk the steep vineyards, you wonder how any plant can grow out of stone, or how it can survive with lack of moisture. But on the contrary, the roots dig deep making plants sturdy in high winds, and the slate layers do retain some moisture.

Priorat Spain's other wine region
Roses are the first harbingers of disease. Steep slopes are planted without terraces.

Specific to this area are grenache grapes (both white and red) and carignan (cariñena) grapes, though others have been introduced in the past twenty-five years. Where once the habit was to combine grapes, the tendency now is to create wine from just one source or from a couple grapes in combination.

Priorat wines can be hearty with alcohol, and the robust grapes need to be restrained in the process. Vintners tell you the challenge is holding it back. The quality comes from hand picking, from selectivity (sometimes producing less than a kilo of grapes per vine). And as in every other quality region, the superior wines are a result of healthy grapes, good weather, a tastemaker’s combination of grape varieties (or no combination at all), and the magic of timing in and out of oak barrels.

Priorat Spain Wine Region
The modernist design suits wine makers. Open cellars below and high ceilings above manage heat and air flow. This Wine Cathedral was designed by César Martinell.

I’ll admit I’m influenced by the tours and by being right there where the land produces grapes and the grapes are turned to wine. Here’s what I tasted:
Falset Cooperative
In the town of Falset, the Cooperative handles grapes from about 390 farmers. It’s housed in one of the region’s Wine Cathedrals, so called because of their Catalan Modernist architecture using parabolic arches (similar to those in Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia). This is a great place for an introduction to the area.

Vermouth wine of Falset, Priorat, Catalunya, Spain
Vermouth wine of Falset, Priorat, Catalunya, Spain

Vermut Falset
A sophisticated infusion of over one hundred herbs in a well-rested wine. I maintain Vermut is to Catalunya what Sangria is to Andalusia.
Lo Foc del Castell
A good introduction to the ‘black' grenache. With 14% alcohol it's easy to discover flavors of the ground's minerals and the pine and nut trees that share the territory.

Priorat Spain Wine Region
Sweet rancio wine being held in the sun for quick oxidation.

Verdama Tardana and Vino Rancio
The first is late harvest dessert wine; the latter uses the sweetest grenache and carignan grapes but the wine is held outside in the sun, giving it both earthly and sunny sky tones.

Hotel Hostal Sport wine tasting
The tasting in this family run hotel was presented by wine consultants YaLeLlamaremos, who also produce their own label, Comunica. These guys are representative of the new Priorat, made up of enthusiastic young winemakers and passionate business investors. It’s worth noting that fifteen years ago there were eighteen vineyards in the area. Today there are more than ninety. We sampled:

The label is easy to remember, especially when marked with authentic wine stains.
The label is easy to remember, especially when marked with authentic wine stains.

Riu Blanc (white grenache and macabeu grapes) with a fresh, clean match for the chalkier layers of of copper slate.
Riu A blend syrah, grenache and carignan, this red allows the deep fruits to come forward with the slate, limestone, and oak.
Comunica Samsó was a favorite. 100% carignan, from the limestone areas of Montsant; a dark and wild full flavor, with the scent of figs.

Amics by Marc Pi, located at the Buil&Gine winery, provides artistic cuisine
Amics by Marc Pi, located at the Buil i Gine winery, provides artistic cuisine like this tender beef served with peas, beans and a Rancio wine sauce.

Buil i Gine
Thanks to arrangements through the TBEX travel bloggers conference, I was a guest at Buil i Gine twice. The winery is blessed with the restaurant Els Amics, serving the world class cooking of Marc Pi. So there’s that, an experience I won’t soon forget. We also stayed in one of the Buil i Gine guestrooms for three nights. The estate offers a gorgeous vantage point over Gratallops, one of the original Priorat ‘clos' villages, and across the steep valleys and hills. The winner in the wine tasting in the Buil & Giné cellars was the 2010 Joan Giné Negre, a grenache, carignan, and cabernet sauvignon blend that melded blackberry and prune flavors with the balanced minerals and oak.

With a nod to the Escala Dei monastery, Chef Marc Pi creates this ladder of goodness. Garnished with black garlic.
With a nod to the Escala Dei monastery, Chef Marc Pi ceates this ladder of goodness. Garnished with black garlic.

At Amics we enjoyed grenache whites and local reds based on our hosts’ recommendations. Marc's wife and partner Rosemary Lima recommended bottles from nearby Clos Mogador and Clos Mas Martinet. Through them we also discovered excellent olive oil produced nearby–and participated in an olive oil tasting by Priorat Natur.

The area around Buil i Gine is covered with well-marked hiking trails for close-up looks at the rocks and longer views of the terrain. It’s a good base for Priorat and Montsant discovery, and will surely persuade you to consider staying forever.

ana olive tasting falset
Priorat Natur in Falset sells local delicacies and offers olive oil tasting. Anna, pictured here, makes the oils, plus honey, jams and sweet and spicy nuts.

Castell Riudabella
Near Montsant, in DO ConcaBarbera, we met two generations of the Gil family (Jose Pedro Gil Moreno de Mora) that has resided in the Castle Riudabella since 1841. (The fortress was originally built to protect the monastery and support its agricultural production. After the state kicked the monks out in the early 19th Century, this parcel and many others like it were sold off to private parties.) The site is divided by an ancient rift, dividing the 200 hectares into slate soil to one side and limestone to the other.

Peter of the younger generation offered some of the first wines of his new business, Castell Riudabella. His parents, Pedro and Martina, served a wonderful meal of lamb prepared in the original wood-burning fireplace of the estate. They enjoyed introducing us to the property and its historic residents, visitors, and memorabilia. We enjoyed soaking up scene.

Jose Pedro Gil Moreno de Mora of Castle Riudabella, now a winery and gastro tourism resort.
Jose Pedro Gil Moreno de Mora of Castle Riudabella, now a winery and gastro tourism resort.

2014 Chardonnay – 100% chard with a only a quick stay in oak barrels so as not to overpower the full flavor. Lovely.
2012 Red 70% grenache and 30% carignan – A fine example of the influence of the slate earth and fairly extreme conditions of the area. This one will be awesome in another five years or so.
Muscat – I swooned over Pedro's homemade muscat, which to me tasted immediately like sunshine and the hot clay soil of Spain’s high plains.

So how does Priorat wine taste? It tastes like the place it comes from, like the beautiful landscapes, and the rocky ground. Visit Priorat to check it out for yourself.

Priorat Spains other wine region
Village overlooking the Siurana river in Montsant.

If you are interested in unusual wines like we are, you can read about other wine tours we've taken in Argentina, the Alsace region of France, and the central valley of Chile.

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18 thoughts on “Priorat: Spain’s Other Wine Region”

  1. Great introduction to the Priorat wine region…I especially like having information about the food and accommodation on offer to accompany a wine-oriented trip to this part of Catalonia. Looks like a trip we need to make!

    Reply
    • Thanks, Anita. We thought we’d spent a lot of time in Spain and specifically Catalunya. But now I realize unless you’ve been here, you haven’t seen an important piece of Spain’s history and culture.

      Reply
  2. Despite myself I learn something new every day! I never heard of the Priorate wine region before and I’ve spent a lot of time in Spain. Do they export much or is mostly smaller wineries that don’t make enough to export internationally?

    Reply
    • Kay, I’ve seen a lot of Priorat in the USA, but we usually shop at a store that specializes in the unique small wineries. I’m sure if you asked your favorite store, they might bring some in for you. Eventually. It’s really good.

      Reply
    • While I was tasting Priorat just in context of Priorat wines, I might need to examine the whites together a little bit. Some of the Priorat whites are really nice, and I don’t normally go for Rioja whites.

      Reply
  3. Hey Kristin! Great story. It’s nice to see Priorat get some publicity, espeically because its the only region besides Rioja with DOQ (as you pointed out). I really, really like what you said about vermouth being to Catalunya as sangria is to Andalucia. I think you are on the mark with that observation and I wish more people would take note of it. Too many tourists come to Barcelona wanting to guzzle sangria when they could be enjoying a more-fitting glass of vermouth.

    Reply
  4. Salud! What a gorgeous region of Spain. Thanks for the introduction to Priorat wine region – I do love Spanish wines, and cava. I could spend some time exploring the Priorat wine region and learning more about the whole process – and tasting my way through their wine offerings of course. I will have to give their vermouth a try.

    Reply
  5. You certainly taught me a lot about this area of winemakers. Now I have another location of Spain I must visit. Love the photo of the Verdama. I can’t wait to get to my local store and see if I can track down something special from the Priorat region.

    Reply
  6. Thanks for a beautiful piece! The Priorat wine region is a tiny area with a small production planted in terraces and most of it is organic. Now days, a lot of its wine is exported to the US and Switzerland, so go and visit as it is a “wine-lover must stop”.

    Reply

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