Priorat Gran Reserva Tour
Exclusive Luxury Catalan Wine, Gastronomy and Culture Tour.
DOQ Priorat, source of Spains most potent new wines, is located half an hour into the interior from Tarragona, the Roman capital of Iberia. The wines of Priorat have always been of special importance because of their concentration and high alcohol content which made them easy to conserve and suitable for shipping. In 1893 Priorat was thriving with 17,000 hectacres of vines and unprecedented demand for its wines and spirits, then the phyloxera insect arrived. This was followed by years of bad harvests, disease and civil war. By the 1970s there were less than 800 hectacres under cultivation and houses outnumbered people.
Today, Priorat is a perfectly preserved paradise. The unique terroir, climate, native varieties of Garnatxa and Carinena have been tamed by a new wave of adventurous and skilled wine makers. Old restaurants have renovated their menus and new restaurants have opened with some very interesting gastronomic proposals. We are delighted to bring visitors to Priorat and introduce them to the awesome scenery and the very special wines and wineries of this historic wine region.
Sample Itinery
8.00 Transfer to Priorat.
9.30 Traditional Catalan breakfast in Scala Dei, historic capital of Priorat. Gourmet treats include Catalan “pa amb tomaquet”, Iberian ham, artisan cheeses.
11.30-13.00 Private tour and accompanied wine-tasting at Mas Blanc, a state-of-the-art biodynamic winery producing about 3.000 cases a year. Your opportunity to taste Priorat's distinctive “licorella” Garnatxa and Carinena wines.
13:30-15:30 Delicious gourmet “taste” lunch at Restaurant El Celler de l’Aspic where chef Toni Bru will lead us through a combined tasting of 5 excellent dishes, each paired to Priorat wine, a delight to the eye, the nose and the palate. By arrangement we also visit other notable restaurants of Priorat, Mas Trucafort and Irreductibles.
restaurant irreductibles Gratallops
16:00-17:30- A short drive will take us to la Vilella Baixa where we will taste the brews of Lo Givot. An accompanied private visit will introduce you to every aspect of this highly acclaimed boutique wine producer.
17:30-19:30 Transfer to your accommodation.
You will have witnessed the most spectacular of Spanish wine regions as it emerges from 100 years of seclusion and regains its place amoung the first wine regions of Europe and the world.
Priorat main attractions: The Montsant massif, Scala Dei, incredible landscape, potent terroir wines, ancient hermitages and monestaries, frontier towns, lead mines, stunning Catalan cuisine.
Web pages of interest
Bodegas Pinord: www.pinord.es/english/paginas.asp
Lo Givot www.cellerdelpont.com
DOQ Priorat www.falset.net/poble/poble/consultavip.asp
Priorat Turisme: www.agroturisme.org/novaa/priorat.htm
www.priorat.org/turisme.php