Priorat is a tiny wine area in Cataluña with only eleven small pastoral villages. There are innovative “avantgarde” wineries alongside traditional wineries, all producing enchanting wines. The food is delicious, cooked with pure local extra virgin olive oil that fills your plate generously, and is happily consumed with the local powerful wines of the area, in the company of good friends. Most wines are red, and even the white wines have a powerful red soul. Welcome to Priorat!

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Location & Climate

Priorat is only a short drive south of Barcelona, along the coast of the Mediterranean, slightly inland off Tarragona.  The climate is continental (cold winters with moderate to low rainfalls, long and hot summers, extreme differences in temperatures, with some Mediterranean influence, and an occasional “slash” of the “Mistral” wind blowing from the north-east.

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Topography & Soil

The terrain is hilly and mountainous. The soils are a unique mix found only in Priorat, called "Licorella". It is a rocky mix of reddish-black slate with small particles of mica quartz, with clayey soil, a fertile composition of clay and volcanic ash. It drains quickly, reflect the sun, conserve the heat and add minerality. The roots of the vines slice through the slate and the soil as deep as possible for the nutrients necessary for their survival. The roots also help the vines to resist the occasional storms and strong winds in the area. 

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Scala Dei & Cooperative Wine Production

About 1,000 years ago, during Medieval Times, one of the villagers had visions of angels going up and down a heavenly stairway. The king and church at the time were so impressed with the occurrence, that they established a monastery under the name Scala Dei (“God’s Stairway”). An important occupation of the monks was the cultivation of vineyards and producing wines. The wines were important for religious purposes as well as economic reasons, because the proceeds from the wine were an important income source of the monastery. 

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Winemaking continued until eventually the lands of the monastery were distributed to the local farmers in the 19th century. During the following years, hard-working farmers laboriously continued to cultivate the vineyards and sold the grapes at a modest price to the local cooperatives. The cooperatives blended all the grapes (regardless of quality) and produced simple, rustic, unrefined wines that did not sell for much. Everyone was trying to make ends meet.

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Becoming DOCa

The turning point came in the 1990s when a group of growers, who firmly believed in the potential of their grapes were inspired by the development in French wine regions. They started to make their own wines rather than selling the grapes. Their efforts were rewarded by the prestigious DOCa classification of Priorat wines.

 

Today, Priorat wines have gained recognition and popularity. There are wines coming from the region with outstanding quality. This is kind of a happy ending, a great new beginning for Priorat wines that we are always delighted to share.

  

Challenging Cultivation

The vines grow on narrow stone-made terraces, hand-built centuries ago on the hilly slopes at an altitude of 100 - 700 meters. These terraces can sustain the vines, but there is not much room for more, certainly not for machines. 

 

Cultivating the vines is difficult, can be only done manually, with the assistance of a mule, a horse or a donkey. Indeed, it is said that at some point in time, the costs of donkey or horse were an important consideration in maintaining the vineyards and producing vines.

 

Some of the vineyards are 100 years old and it is quite possible that they were planted by the grand-parent of the farmer whom we can see today taking care of the vineyards, using similar methods as done centuries ago, thankfully with much greater world recognition and higher appreciation for his efforts. 

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Priorat Wines Styles

Priorat wines are precious because the yield of the old vines is low and because they can only be hand cultivated. The juice and flavors of the grapes are concentrated, giving the wines a deep dark color, a full body and a rich texture. The high acidity, retained by the extreme difference in temperature between day and night, balances the powerful flavors, and the wines are complex, intense and masculine.

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Winemaking styles are divided among the traditional bodegas ("wineries") and the "avantgarde" ones. The traditional producers follow the Spanish classification that categorizes the wines by the duration of their ageing, using American Oak barrels and letting the wines age in the bottles before they are sold (Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva).

 

The "avantgarde" modern producers are are influenced by nearby France. These “avantgarde” wineries not only age the wine in French barrels, but they also follow the French tradition of calling the wine after the well-defined vineyards where it is made (“Clos”). There are excellent wines made in both styles.   

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Priorat Grape Varieties & Flavors 

The main grapes of Priorat are Garnacha ("Grenache" in France) and Carinena ("Carignan" in France). Priorat wines are varietals or blended, typically with local varieties, but often with small percentages of their French cousins (like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot).

 

The flavors are a spectrum of black fruits, chocolate, jam strawberry, leather, licorice, earth, tar and a strong minerality. The wines are highly tannic and age very well.

 

High-quality Priorat wines are considered among the best impressions of Garnacha and Carinena in the world. The exceptional quality of wines can drive up the price of some of the wines (but definitely not all).  

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Most  Priorat wines are red, and there are also great rose wines and white wines (main whites are: Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez and Chenin). There are also sweet dessert wines with delicious “Cherry Chocolate” flavors.

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