Collection: D.O.Ca. Priorat

Wines from this top Spanish region are slowly gaining world renown. Low yielding vineyards are spectacularly carved into slate hills, making them only workable by hand. The slate subsoil serves as a reservoir of heat in the cold nights and gives the wines from this area a unique, mineral character. Their high quality led to them being awarded a particular D.O.Ca. recognition: Denominación de Origen Calificada. 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. It is therefore a challenge to find a good slate Priorat with a relatively low price threshold.

Priorato – Priorat in Catalan – is a small, unique enclave of black hills where dark red wine of exceptional quality has been made for more than 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 with both native and French grape varieties since the 1980s – have been producing acclaimed 'new Prioratos'. These wines are renowned today, not only in Spain but also internationally. The quality of the wines, whether the traditional or the new sorts, draws upon a unique microclimate and a unique soil. It is this terroir and the mixing of old and new varieties that have turned Priorato into one of the most copied of European wine-growing regions.

On 6 July 2009 the D.O. was promoted to D.O.Ca. (Denominación de Origen Calificada, or Qualified Denomination of Origin), is a higher category reserved for wines that have demonstrated consistency and quality over an extended period.

© Photo: Costers del priorat