DOQ Priorat, Spain

Spain’s second Denominación de Origen Calificada is Priorat, the first was Rioja. This classification created some of the most expensive wines in Spain for an area that was all but forgotten twenty years ago. Grape growing in Priorat dates back to the 12th century, when the Carthusian monks tended to the vineyards for several hundred years. By the end of the 19th century phylloxera devastated many of the vineyards, and they were not replanted until the 1950s. In the early 1980s, a group of mavericks – René Barbier, Alvaro Palacios, Carlos Pastrana, Dafne Glorian and José Luis Pérez moved to Priorat and started making excellent wines almost immediately. From 1985 to 1995, exporting bulk wines stopped and only high quality wine was bottled. Priorat gained D.O. status in 1954 and Catalonian authorities approved DOQ status in 2000.

DOQ Priorat is a a difficult region to plant and maintain grapevines. The vineyards are planted on sloped terraces at altitudes between 100 to 700 meters above sea level. Many of the vineyards are impossible to reach and maintain with a tractor or other equipment. DOQ Priorat is almost entirely surrounded by DO Montsant, featuring a total area of 48,880 acres.

The soils of DOQ Priorat are unique, characterized by “licorella” in Catalan. Licorella is a combination of reddish and black slate with small particles of mica, all volcanic in origin. This soil composition reflects and conserves the heat. The topsoil is about 50 centimeter thick and features decayed slate and mica. This forces the roots to plunge deep into the bedrock to find rainwater, nutrients and minerals. In order to plant new vines, growers must dynamite the holes to create a large enough area to plant a vine.

Several micoclimates exist in DOQ Priorat. The most notable contrasts comes between the highlands and the valleys of the rivers Siruana and Montsant. Cold northern winds are moderated by the Montsant mountain, but warm mistral winds blow from the east. The climate is continental with occasional frost and hail. Summers are long, hot and dry, while winters are cold, featuring an average temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The region receives an average amount of rainfall, but the water drains due to the type of soil.

The traditional grape variety from DOQ Priorat is Garnacha Tinta. Other authorized red varieties include Cariñena, Garnacha Peluda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Authorized white varieties include: Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Chenin Blanc and Pedro Ximénez. The grape vines are typically planted “en vaso” as low bushes, but some of the newer vineyards are being trellised. The average planting density is roughly2,700 vines per hectare, and yields are lower than the authorized maximum because of the rocky nature of the soil.