Collection: Marco Abella

Marco Abella manages the 30 hectares of his own vineyards in Porrera - 6 plots on adjacent hilltops. The vineyards are certified by the CCPAE, the Spanish organic wine institute. The plots are located at between 500 metres and 700 metres altitude, the highest of the entire Priorat region. They are the closest to the sea.  A particular climate reigns at this altitude, which together with the red and grey slate, provides the soft freshness and finesse that is so typical of Marco Abella's wines. The Abella family has been making wine since the fifteenth century. Grandfather Marco Abella moved from Barcelona to Priorat after the Phylloxera epidemic of the late nineteenth century. At the start of the 1990s, his grandson David Marco and his wife Olivia took over the bodega and immersed themselves in biodynamic winemaking.

D.O.Ca Priorato. ( Catalonia). Wines from this top Spanish/Catalan region are gradually gaining global acclaim. Low yielding vineyards spectacularly cut into the slate hills can only be worked by hand. The slate subsoil provides a reservoir of heat in the cold nights and gives the region's wines a unique, mineral character. Their top quality brought them the particular classification of D.O.Ca: Denominación de Origen Controlada. It is a recognition that has otherwise only been awarded to Rioja. Of course, a low yield plus great fame culminates in a higher price tag. Thus it is a challenge to find a good Priorat at a relatively low price threshold.

Priorato – Priorat in Catalan – is a small, unique enclave of black hills, where bold, deep red wines of extraordinary quality have been made for over eight centuries. This D.O. in the Tarragona district suddenly found itself in the limelight in the last decade, after producers there began to adopt new technologies. Since then the vineyards – which had been planted in the 1980s with both French and native grape varieties – have been making acclaimed ‘new Prioratos’ . These wines are renowned today, not only in Spain but also internationally. The quality of the wines - both the traditional and the new sorts - is founded on a unique microclimate and a unique soil. This terroir and its mixture of old and new varieties have made Priorato one of Europe's most imitated winemaking regions.
On 6 July 2009 the D.O. was promoted to D.O.Ca (Denominación de Origen Calificada, or Qualified Denomination of Origin), an elevated category reserved for wines which have shown a proven consistency and quality over an extended period.