Catalunya - DOQ Priorat - The Growing Environment and Grape Growing
4 important questions on Catalunya - DOQ Priorat - The Growing Environment and Grape Growing
Priorat vineyards are challenging, why?
- Lack of easy access
- Challenging topography (100-700m)
- extreme weather
- Yields very small
- Competition for labour by textile industry
What are the reasons of the success of Priorat as the regions best wines? It became a DOQ in 2009.
- The producer René Barbier spotted its potential and his faith in it was rewarded.
- Modern Spanish winemaking with old vines
- Traditional red wines made of 100% Garnacha Tinta
- It is the wines from the Gratallops wineries that have grown up over the past 10 years or so that really show what can be achieved – these are some of Spain’s most exciting and most expensive wines.
What is the climate and growing environment of Priorat?
- Warm continental, protected by mountains, high diurnal range. Irrigation permitted.
- Very steep slopes! (Costers): 5-60% - hand work, expensive
- Narrow terraces
- 1700ha incl. Garnacha (900), Carinena (300ha). Whites; 500Ha (garnacha, viuda, px)
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Priorat has specific soils, which are these and what are they called?
- Varied, poor, volcanic and stony with some clay
- Llicorella is a specific subsoil; a reddish slate subsoil containing particles of mica (quartzite) that sparkle in the sun and reflect the heat – the alternate layers of slate and quartzite present a black and gold “tigerskin” effect in bright sunlight. This subsoil is known locally as Llicorella. The topsoil consists of decayed slate and mica and is only 50 cm deep.
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