The sloping geography of the Priorat wine region is very typical for the area. In the Priorat many vineyards are worked as costers (steep slopes) and most of the vineyards are so steep that in some places terraces have been built. Lots of these terraces are very narrow so there is only space for one or two rows of vines. Working with farm machinery is almost impossible.
The winegrowing is characterized by slopes that have a gradient of more than 15% in most cases although some wine estates reach 60%. At these places you see some wineries work with mules. If you work the soil with a mule, it is possible to put the compost in, and the character of the old vines is completely different.
Due to the specific terroir of the region, the vines in Priorat deliver very low yields - less than 1 kg per plant. The wines from this region are therefore also more expensive than from many other areas.
The harvest period in Priorat differs greatly per region. It usually starts in Bellmunt around September and ends sometime around late October and early November in Porrera and La Morera de Montsant.
The long fermentation period of the very ripe grapes makes it possible to obtain very rich components of each grape. This allows a very extensive maceration period of the skin.
The recommended and permitted varieties of the DOQ Priorat are the following:
Recommended red grape varieties: Grenache, Carignan.
Permitted red varieties: Hairy Grenache, Tempranillo, Piquepoul, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah.
White varietals: White Grenache, Macabeu, Pedro Ximénez, Chenin Blanc, Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Xarello, Piquepoul.
The most planted grape varieties in the Priorat are red ones. Carinyena (Carignan) and Garnatxa (Grenache) are the most important native varieties. The trend among the red varieties is that Garnacha stays constant, Cariñena decreases and the international grape varieties increase. While Cabernet Sauvignon has always been in the lead among these, in recent years, Syrah has increased faster.
Exclusive wines from Priorat 
