Montsant () is a Spanish
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (''Denominació d'Origen Protegida'' in
Catalan) for
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
located in the province of
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
(
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
) and covers 12 municipalities. It was previously known as the Falset subzone of
Tarragona (DO), and was created as a separate DO in the early 2000s. Regional approval came in 2001, and from 2002 wines were sold as Montsant rather than Tarragona.
DO Regulations, published in DOGC no. 4414 dated 28-6-2005.
In Catalan
Montsant takes its name from the Montsant Mountains in the area.
Under the auspices of the DOP Montsant, the region has seen rapid growth, starting with 28 official cellars in 2002 which grew to number 55 currently. Approximately 94% of the production is of red wine with 62% exportation outside Spain, 28% consumed in Catalonia, and 10% sold to the rest of Spain.
Geography
Montsant DOP almost completely surrounds the more famous Priorat (DOQ)
Priorat is a Denominació d'Origen Qualificada (DOQ) for Catalan wines produced in the Priorat county, in the province of Tarragona, in the southwest of Catalonia.
The DOQ covers 11 municipalities. It primarily produces powerful red wines, wh ...
. The vineyards extend along the mountainsides among olive groves, forests and rocky outcrops. The denomination covers the area of Priorat
Priorat () is a comarca (county) in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The region is named due to the monastery of Scala Dei which held many properties and the capital is now the town of Falset.
Economy
The central part of the comarca, ''Pr ...
comarca that is not part of DOQ Priorat as well as part of the neighboring comarca of Ribera d'Ebre
Ribera d'Ebre () is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It extends to both sides of the Ebre river between the reservoir of Riba-roja and Miravet. It belongs to the Terres de l'Ebre
Terres de l'Ebre (, in English 'Ebro, Ebre Lands') is t ...
. In total, 17 villages are included: La Bisbal de Montsant
La Bisbal de Montsant () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Priorat in Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Cat ...
, Cabacés
Cabacés () is a municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Priorat in the Provinces of Spain, province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. It is also known as Cabassers, which was its official name until 1989.
See also
*Municipal election ...
, Capçanes, Cornudella de Montsant, La Figuera
La Figuera () is a town in Priorat, Catalonia, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of contin ...
, els Guiamets, Marçà, Margalef
Margalef () is a village in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the edge of Montsant and is a popular ecotourism destination, especially among rock climbers. The rock type is conglomerate and it has more than 1500 climbing routes of differe ...
, El Masroig, Pradell de la Teixeta
Pradell de la Teixeta () is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, located in the comarca of Priorat, in the province of Tarragona
Tarragona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is b ...
, La Torre de Fontaubella, Ulldemolins, along with portions of Falset, Garcia, El Molar, Móra la Nova
Móra la Nova () is a municipality in the ''comarca'', or district, of the Ribera d'Ebre in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Ebre river, facing the district capital Móra d'Ebre.
It is served by a RENFE railway station on ...
and Tivissa
Tivissa () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera d'Ebre, Catalonia, Spain. It is located below the La Llena Mountains, La Llena massif. As well as the village of Tivissa itself, the municipality also includes the village of La Serra d'Almo ...
(the sub-villages of Darmós and La Serra d'Almos.
Soils
Vineyards range from 200 to 700 meters in elevation and sit on three main soil types: chalky clay, granitic sand, and slate. The elevation tends to increase towards the Serra de Montalt in the southwest and towards the Serra de Montsant
Serra de Montsant is a mountain chain in Catalonia, Spain. The main populated area in the range is La Morera de Montsant. Description
It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Roca Corbatera (1,163 m), Piló dels Senyalets ( ...
in the northwest. There is a large degree of variation from the small, relatively flat plain around Falset and Marçà to the higher elevation village of La Figuera that sits on a mountain range at 575 meters.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
with continental influences. Summers are dry and annual rainfall is about 650 mm, falling mainly in autumn. There is only an occasional risk of hailstones or frost.
Authorised grape varieties
The authorised grape varieties are:
* Red: Garnatxa Negra, Carinyena, Ull de llebre, Syrah
Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...
, Merlot
Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...
, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
* White: Garnatxa Blanca, Macabeu / Viura, Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...
, Moscatell d’Alexandria, and Xarel·lo
Xarel·lo () is a white grape variety of Spanish origin specially grown in Catalonia.
With Macabeo and Parellada, Xarel·lo is one of the three traditional varieties used to make the sparkling wine cava. Spanish plantations stood at in 200 ...
Wine styles
The main style of Montsant is powerful red wines, which can be similar to the wines of Priorat when they are made from old vine Grenache and Carignan. Production also includes white wines, rosé wines, sweet red wines and 'vi ranci' style wines made using a Solera
Solera is a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many yea ...
system.
Kosher
DOP Montsant has the distinction of being the only region in Catalonia (and one of only a handful) in Spain where kosher wine
Kosher wine () is wine that is produced in accordance with ''halakha'', and more specifically ''kashrut'', such that Jews will be permitted to pronounce blessings over and drink it. This is an important issue, since wine is used in several Jewi ...
is produced.
See also
*Catalan wine
Catalan wines are those that are produced in the wine regions of Catalonia. Occasionally, the appellation is applied to some French wine made in the Catalan people, Catalan region of Roussillon and neighboring areas, also known as Northern Catalon ...
References
External links
D.O.P. Montsant official website
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Catalan wine
Wine regions of Spain