Adventures in the Priorat

It was very warm the last week of June in Catalunya, but a perfect time to explore this rugged wine region located west of Tarragona, about a one and a half hour drive south of Barcelona. Although not as well known within Spain as the Rioja and Ribera del Duero wine regions, the Priorat was first introduced to the United States several years ago and continues to offer some of the best and most expensive wines available on the market today, including those from Cellers Capafons-Ossó, Vall Llach, Cims de Porrera, Clos Dominic, Masia Duch (El Tancat), Clos Berenguer, Mas Sinén and even the small, and difficult to find, Celler del Pont. The productions are small, but the rich reds and succulent whites are well worth the price.

We were fortunate to be able to meet some of the Priorat’s most acclaimed pioneer winemakers, including Carlos Pastrana, owner of Clos de l’Obac, known for being passionate about his wines, and given a private Jeep tour of some of the most remote and steeply terraced vineyards in the region by the winemakers themselves, including a four-hour long visit with Francese Capafons of Capafons-Ossó, the maker of the esteemed Mas de Masos, rated as one of the 10 best wines in the world.



Dining in the Priorat can be as rewarding an experience as the wine tasting itself, with excellent village restaurants serving both traditional Catalan cuisine (El Cairat & Fonda La Figuera) and more contemporary fare (Celler de Gratallops & Celler d’Aspec), all sporting extensive yet surprisingly reasonably priced wine lists, showcasing the best of the Montsant and Priorat D.O.s.