Ulldemolins village in Priorat Catalunya — Image from turismepriorat. And so, the monastery of Scala Dei was born , whose remnants and partial reconstruction still exist today for visits. The region has had many highs and lows , with phylloxera doing the most damage in the late s, destroying the Many people main the decision to leave, and most of the vineyards remained empty and dormant until the , when an effort to replant began.
Llicorella is primarily reddish black slate with small bits of mica, which reflects the sun and keeps in heat. The top soil is formed from decomposed slate and mica, as the llicorella is very easy to break, allowing vines to develop very deep root systems to find water. It was rediscovered in the s when several top winemakers from outside of Priorat founded wineries after they discovered the potential of the region for making incredible wines.
This was confirmed by critical acclaim from the wine journalists, sommeliers, and wine experts. Soon after the monks started the construction of the Priorato de Scala Dei: the priory of the stairway of God. A small village grew next to the Priorato to provide service to its needs and the region took the name of the monastery. Monks were gone a long time ago but the ruins of the monastery remained and are actually being restored.
One of the wineries in Priorat holds the name of Scala Dei and its wines are actually produced at the old priory cellars. In the s a group of winemakers arrived in Priorat with a vision. They purchased plots with excellent vineyards and also planted new ones. They agreed their wines would be called Clos plus a surname and get in this way differentiated with other wines being produced locally.
Some of these wines soon received international recognition and amongst their names we find Alvaro Palacios, Costers del Siurana, Mas Martinet, and Rene Barbier son. From a model based on vineyard and production in a cooperative style, they moved to their own premises. They basically shaped the region of Priorato the way we know it today.
You can find more about the wineries and wines in Priorat in this post. The small river Siurana, which is a tributary of the Ebro river that crosses Rioja and which ends in Tarragona at the natural park of the Ebro river, runs through the region and is fed from sources that arrive from the mountain range.
Priorat is a highland location, difficult to access and this explains its terroir. The bedrock is vital and provides the schist stratum which is perfect for the vines. In areas where the soil can be eroded and become dry, schist is perfect for the vine-roots, which manage to find apertures and reach for water. If the bedrock is key, the llicorella soil becomes indispensable. These are soils that alternate layers of slate and quartzite, its colors one could say resemble a tiger skin: black and goldish.
Viticulture becomes almost heroic in this field. Yields are very small and the terraces and slopes mean anything but an easy life for viticulture. But the reward in the quality of grapes awaits, and what a reward it is! Priorat is the greatest Spanish niche for red fine wine.
Experts from all over the world have turned their eyes and prices rocketed while low yields stayed. New wineries arrived but the areas where vines can grow and produce the real miracle of Priorat are limited. The physical geography of the Priorat region is very mountainous and difficult in cultivating vines. Wines from this area have gained an enormous reputation and this is due, without a doubt, to its challenging landscape.
The difficult landscape does not allow for large-scale production from these lands. Small properties along with the strong dedication of grape growers and winemakers are what make possible the small number of wineries in this area, some of which can be visited.
If you are planning to visit Priorat from Barcelona, Priorat wine tours depart daily from Barcelona. Alike with closer regions in Barcelona like Penedes or Alella , traveling to Priorat implies longer driving time and there is by far less demand.
This implies most tours run as private tours and they are pricey. The experience is however fantastic and no red wine lover will be disappointed.
Many vineyards in Priorat are planted on terraces and steep slopes, called costers another Catalan term. This is one of the most important secrets behind the unique wines coming from Priorat. The garnacha grape Garnacha Spanish or Grenache the French term is the predominant grape variety in the Priorat region, and a very popular grape because it is ideally suited to the dry climate of the area. This grape gives a very strong and fresh wine. It is also a grape with a thin skin, and has some unique characteristics.
Alvaro Palacios see below word is Garnacha "the only grape transforming warm and dry climate into a very beautiful and refreshing drink". General characteristics of wines from Priorat White wines The white wines are made of grape varieties like Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca.
They are pale yellow in color with fruity aromas and makes you think of herbs from the mountains. In the mouth it has a Mediterranean character: warm and soft. The warm climate gives the wines a taste of ripe fruit and a warm and tasty palate. Red Wines This is the product with the highest of the region. The red wines have a characteristic intense cherry color, with complex aromas of ripe fruit and a terroir character coming from the slate soil that give them a mineral taste.
On the palate they are characterized by great character, strong, fleshy, warm and tannic and the taste is persistent. The reds are made from Grenache and Carignan combined with lower rates of foreign varieties. Rancid and sweet wines These are traditional wines of the area.
They have a nutty flavor with mountain herbs. The palate is warm, tasty and has good oxidative evolution. A range of sweet wines with aromas of black fruits and roasted oak. The palate is sweet, pasty, fruity and balanced by good acidity.
Alvaro Palacios Alvaro Palacios is one of Spain's most succesfull wine producers of the moment and he has revolutionized Spanish wine over the past decades. Alvaro Palacios makes some of the best wines in Spain, Priorat district. In , he bought 1. La Ermita is located on a steep, north facing slope and consists entirely of Garnacha- Grenache- vines from the s.
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