{"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer MTRlYjRjMWU5NjE3YzNjZTM4N2E4YWZiYmFiMWEwYjZlYjhmOGU0ODZjY2IyZWEzZTQ5YTNkYWMzZTU0MWZmYg","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}

PREMIUM

Priorat: An enthralling new wave arises

If your thoughts go instinctively to huge, chunky reds with heady extraction and alcohol, take another look and reassess the wines emerging on the new wave from Priorat, Catalonia’s premium DOQ region, as our in-situ expert explains.

Wine rarely comes from ugly places, but few wine regions can compete with the beauty of Priorat, southwest of Barcelona. As you head inland from the coastal city of Tarragona – a particularly beautiful train journey that winds through the hills – the land starts to rise and the population becomes notably sparse.

There are barely 2,200ha under vine here – a mere 30th of the size of Rioja, according to that region’s annual reporting.

Priorat’s vineyards are scattered across the rugged, rolling terrain, at varying aspects and elevations; there are no vast swathes of vineyards to announce your arrival here. Instead, the sheer harshness of the land is apparent, with layers of rocky schist and steep vineyard slopes that seem to defy the commercial realities of wine production.

This is not a place for the faint-hearted.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for 10 magnificent wines from Priorat



Priorat renewal: Kerr’s pick of 10 from the DOQ’s new wave


Related articles

Investing in Spain: Top-scoring fine wines to enjoy and cellar

Decanter’s Dream Destination: Hostal de La Gavina, Costa Brava, Spain

Vineyards in northwestern Spain hit by extreme weather

Latest Wine News