DOQ Priorat
DOQ Priorat
The DOQ Priorat mainly consists of the territories which formed part of the area formerly under the control of the monastery of Scala Dei. These lands form a geographic unit that is characterised by its rugged topography and by the slate in the soil (known as llicorella), and by extremes of climate. All these factors combine to produce the best conditions for the cultivation of vines. The Carthusian monks recognised and took advantage of this when, in the 12th century they founded a monastery at the foot of the Montsant Sierra. There, they made wines of such excellent quality that they graced the tables of the nobility. Demand grew, and between the 18th and the 19th centuries, vines were planted throughout the Priorat.
For a long time, the high quality wines of the Priorat were mainly used to improve the great wines of Europe. Today however, due to the legacy of the old varieties of grapes, principally grenache and carignan, together with the skills of the wine-makers, the wines of the Priorat have become famous in their own right.
Features
Area of production: Bellmunt del Priorat, Gratallops, el Lloar, la Morera de Montsant and Escaladei, Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja del Priorat, la Vilella Alta, la Vilella Baixa and the northern part of the municipal districts of Falset and El Molar.
Cultivated area: Approximately 2.100 hectares
Red varieties: Red grenache and carignan are the predominant. We can also find garnatxa peluda (“hairy grenache”), cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, tempranillo, picapoll (“red picpoul”) and pinot noir.
White varieties: White grenache, macabeu, pedro ximénez, chenin, moscatell d’Alexandria (“muscat of Alexandria”), moscatell de gra petit (“white muscat à petits grains”), pansal (“xarel·lo”), picapoll blanc (“white picpoul”) and viognier.
Altitude: From 200 to 750 metres.
Types of soil: Compact substratum of slate (llicorella), of medium or shallow depth, and a lesser proportion of moderately calcareous round in the area that surrounds the mountain range of the Montsant. The terrain where the grapes are grown is characterized by slopes that are often more than 15% away from level, and in the case of old vines are often more than 60%.
Distinctive features: These wines have an intense colour and a complex aroma of mature fruits, with a mineral base imparted by the llicorella. They are robust well-structured wines which have their own individual personalities, with tannic flavours and a very persistent aftertaste.
Climbing vines
The relief of the Priorat is not forgiving. Rough terrain, with breathtaking ravines, small valleys surrounded by hills of varying heights, making up a natural amphitheatre sheltered by mountain ranges that cut it off from the areas around it.
The Priorat of steep hillsides is a barely tamed landscape, where the vines cling determinedly to the slopes, their trunks gnarled by the passing of time. Old vines inhabit these inaccessible places, where mechanisation is impossible and everything must be done by hand.
On other, less difficult slopes man has modified the landscape with terraces climbing up the mountains, turning their profile into that of a stepped pyramid. Narrow strips barely wide enough for a small tractor. The terraces used to be held up by drystone retaining walls, which served both to hold up the earth and as somewhere to put the stones that had to be taken out of the ground before it could be planted. Hard work calling for skilled hands, which has left its mark everywhere, even in the middle of the woods on abandoned land reclaimed by nature.
The modern terraces often boast vigorous young vines, often trained on wire trellising. Terraces where the farmer's job is made easier.
Small vineyards that, together with olive, almond and hazelnut trees, make up a veritable mosaic that expresses like no other the true agricultural landscape of the mountains around the Mediterranean.
In the DOQ Priorat, on the lower floors of certain houses, many well over a hundred years old, winemakers and vintners can be found at work, making wine to fill no more than a few thousand bottles. Their wine comes from vines planted when it was still a sin for women to bare their arms. These bottles will travel to shops in New York, Zurich or Cape Town...
Day by day, the new wineries and newly planted vineyards verify a new-found belief in this area. The land in the Priorat is not an easy option; it gives little away for nothing, though it has managed to charm a fair-sized group of enthusiasts who love the grapes that come from the llicorella soil. The DOQ Priorat wineries are buzzing with activity. Despite the difficulties they face due to their small size, a good number of them are prepared to receive visitors and share their passion for wine and the lands that produce it.