Summary
On July 6 2009, Priorat becomed the second Spanish wine region to be promoted as DOCa(Qualified Designation of Origin) nationwise, a higher category reserved for wines maintaining a proven consistency and quality over a long period of time. Since 2000 Priorat has endorsed this higher quality designation mention at an autonomic level as approved by the Catalan government.
Priorato - called Priorat in Catalan - is a small, unique pocket of black hills where powerful, deep red wines of superb quality have been made for over eight centuries.
Located in the province of Tarragona, the DOQ leaped to fame in the last decade after producers began to apply new technologies in their winemaking. Since then the vineyards, planted at the beginning of the eighties with French as well as native varieties, have produced the acclaimed ‘new Prioratos’ . Today these wines have become some of the best known not only in Spain but also internationally.
The quality of the wines, both the traditional and the new, is founded on a unique microclimate and soil . It is this terroir and the mixture of old and new wines that have made Priorato one of the most closely watched European growing areas.
| FACT FILE | |
|---|---|
| CRDO address: | Bassa, 9 |
| 43737 Gratallops | |
| Tarragona | |
| Spain | |
| DO established | 1954 |
| Last updated | 5 May 2009 |
| Telephone | +34 977-839-495 |
| Fax | +34 977-839-472 |
| info@doqpriorat.org | |
| Website | www.doqpriorat.org |
| Vineyards: | |
| Subzones | - |
| Area under vine | 1,767 ha |
| Altitude of vineyards | 100 to 700 m |
| Soil types | Llicorella: reddish and black slate with small particles of mica – quartzite – that reflect and conserve the heat. The topsoil, made up of decayed slate and mica, is |
| Principal grapes (w) | Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez, Chenin, Moscatel de Alejandría, Moscatel de Grano menudot, Xarel.lo, Picapoll Blanc |
| Principal grapes (r) | Garnacha Tinta, Cariñena, Garnacha peluda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Ull de Llebre (tempranillo), Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Picapoll Negro |
| Permitted grapes (w) | - |
| Permitted grapes (r) | - |
| Experimental grapes (w) | - |
| Experimental grapes (r) | |
| Organic viticulture | - |
| Climate: | |
| Max. summer temp. | 35°C |
| Min. Winter temp. | -4°C |
| Average rainfall | 400-600 mm |
| Average sunshine | 2,600 hours annually |
| Production: | |
| Maximum crop | 6,000 kg/ha |
| Yield | 65% |
| Equivalent hl/ha | 39 hl/ha |
| Production 2006 (hl) | 28,385 |
| Production 2007 (hl) | 30,445 |
| Production 2008 (hl) | 27,698 |
| Wine alcohol content: | |
| White | 13% abv |
| Rosé | 13% abv |
| Red | 13% abv |
| Other | Generosos 15% abv; Rancios 15% abv |
| Ageing in oak: | |
| Crianza | 12 months oak, 12 months bottle |
| Reserva | 12 months oak, 24 months bottle |
| Gran Reserva | 24 months oak, 48 months bottle |
| Generoso/Rancio | 48 months |
| Wineries: | |
| Number of Wineries | 85 |
| Total exports - 2006 (hl) | 6,673.49 hl |
| Total exports - 2007 (hl) | 9,337.91 hl |
| Total exports - 2008 (hl) | 9,219.00 hl |
