Priorat
The D.O.Ca. Priorat -D.O.Q. in Catalan- is a small mountainous area in Tarragona, whose intricate topography is characterized by slate slopes that sometimes require the construction of terraces to support cultivation.
Its winemaking tradition dates back many centuries. As early as the 12th century, Carthusian monks settled in these lands on the slopes of Montsant, bringing with them winemaking techniques from Provence and building the charterhouse of Scala Dei. According to popular legend, those monks asked a shepherd where they were, and he not only clarified it but also told them that in this place there appeared a ladder by which angels ascended and descended from heaven; that is, a ladder of God (Scala Dei).
The charterhouse remains the heart of this small Qualified Designation of Origin, a region long forgotten since the phylloxera crisis and revived in the 1980s thanks to the ingenuity and determination of winemakers like Álvaro Palacios and René Barbier. To them, and to the heroism of the viticulturists, we owe the fact that many of Priorat's wines are now among the best in the world.
Red wines are the majority. White, rosé, and fortified wines are also produced.
The two flagship grape varieties of the area are garnacha and cariñena.
In the last 2024 harvest, 4,037,529 kg of grapes were harvested in this designation.
Climate
Although with Mediterranean influences, the climate is mild and dry. During the summer, there is no rainfall, which benefits the vineyard.
Soil
Volcanic soils, poor and composed of small slate sheets (llicorella), which impart a pronounced mineral character to the wines, making them unique. The vineyard is located on terraces and steep slopes (harvesting generally has to be done by hand, making it costly and slow). These particularities have made the region internationally renowned and are considered the most distinctive element of the quality and global fame of Priorat wines.
Hectares
2244
Annual production
3500000
Location
Tarragona
1990
Good
1991
Good
1992
Very Good
1993
Excellent
1994
Very Good
1995
Excellent
1996
Excellent
1997
Good
1998
Excellent
1999
Very Good
2000
Good
2001
Excellent
2002
Good
2003
Very Good
2004
Excellent
2005
Excellent
2006
Very Good
2007
Very Good
2008
Very Good
2009
Excellent
2010
Excellent
2011
Excellent
2012
Excellent
2013
Very Good
2014
Very Good
2015
Very Good
2016
Very Good
2017
Very Good
2018
Very Good
2019
Excellent
2020
Excellent
2021
Excellent
2022
Excellent
2023
Excellent
