Priorat is a Spanish DOQ (translates to “Qualified Appellation of Origin”), located in the north-eastern part of Spain, in Catalonia. This is on the Mediterranean side of Spain, only about 10 miles from the Mediterranean sea. DOQ (also called DOCa outside of Catalonia) is the top “qualification level” for Spanish wine regions, and Priort is one of only two DOQ wine regions in Spain, along with Rioja .
Although Priorat is a small region, with 4,700 acres of vineyards from about 600 growers and 100 wineries, their wines are big, bold and known as some of the best red wines that Spain has to offer. This week we dive into the region to learn what makes Priorat such a special place.
In this week’s episode we discuss:
- Where is Priorat?
- What grapes are grown?
- Wine history of this area
- Climate and geography
- Flavor characteristics and food pairings of red Priorat
Scenery of the DOQ Priorat. Photo from DOQ Priorat
Wine Recommendations
Black Slate Porrera 2011 – priced around $20. This one needed to breathe – nose wasn’t so great at first… so we put it through the aerating decanter and it still took an hour to open up.
Black slate is an apt name, it’ll stain your teeth and it had that dusty minerality you’d expect from the name. The nose is sweet and pungent with plum, raisin, black pepper, and pipe tobacco. It tastes is dry, with medium acidity and medium plus tannins. This wine is fruity and savory at the same time, with flavors of dark berries, leather and dark chocolate.
Clos Mogador Nelin Priorat Blanco 2010 – priced around $60. This is a white Priorat so it’s special because there are so few white Priorat wines. This six year old wine has a deep golden color. The smell of this wine is intoxicating with aromas of fresh apples, baking spices like vanilla and star anise and it has a nutty quality as well. It has medium acidity with intense flavors of apples, vanilla, minerality and baking spices. We loved this wine and though it had a beautiful balance between the fruit and other flavors and we really didn’t taste the age, in fact it tasted very fresh to us. This is well worth the price for a special occasion.
Have you try wines from Priorat? Let know your thoughts in the comments section below. Cheers!