Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting one of
Priorat's top winemakers, Sara Perez from Mas Martinet (http://masmartinet.com/). Talking to her and
tasting her wines reminded me why I love Priorat, and so I thought I'd write a
bit more about it so that maybe you might go try it yourself.
What's so amazing about Priorat?
For me, Priorat is all about perfect balance. This region
gets a lot of sunshine and very little rain, which can result in wines with
very high alcohol content. But instead of being massive fruit bombs, the best
Priorats have a beautiful acidity and minerality which lift them to be wines of
great depth and complexity. Granted they are still big wines, the dark fruits
are still ripe, but the acidity and minerality make them much more pleasurable.
How come they're so great?
The key defining characteristic of this region is its
soil. Known locally as "llicorella", this dark sparkly slate soil
reflects the light, conserves the heat, and also gives the wines their mineral
zing. The best vineyards are those on slopes which face northeast in order not
to get too much sun but instead to bask fully in the refreshing sea breezes.
The main grape used is Garnacha (aka Grenache), often blended with Carinena and
a selection of international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and
Syrah.
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| Photo of Priorat vineyard, courtesy of http://myemail.constantcontact.com |
Will I like them too?
If you're a fan of powerful Rhone Valley reds (such as
Cornas or Cote Rotie), Australian Shiraz, South African Pinotage or Argentinian
Malbec, chances are you will enjoy exploring what this region has to offer. And if you like these wines but can't stretch to a bottle of Priorat, check out the wines of Montsant which is just next door.
It is also worth noting that Priorat is only a very short
drive from Barcelona - mini break, anyone?
Happy Swigging!
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