Disclosure: The author was invited to a paid press trip to DO Montsant in Spain. The contents of this article were not influenced by DO Montsant.
Despite being a relatively young appellation, the area of DO Montsant has been involved in
Copyright R.Yeamans-Irwin 2018
winemaking since the Roman Empire. With time comes progress, and the region is no stranger to innovation in winemaking and winemaking as a constant source of employment and income for families in the region. Officially, Montsant was finally recognized as a Designation of Origin in 2001.
GEOGRAPHY
DO Montsant is located in the county of Priorat, which may sound familiar as the more well-known appellation of Priorat is also located in this county. While these two appellations are very close geographically, the wines are markedly different, primarily due to the soil composition of each of the two regions.
An hour and a half west-southwest of Barcelona, DO Montsant forms an almost complete oval shape surrounding the DOQ Priorat, with one small section of that oval being apart of the Priorat. This semi-circle shape contains very mountainous terrain, as well as some more varied aspects including more gently rolling hills. The entire appellation features 6 different mountain ranges: Montsant, La Llena, Prades, Argentera, Mola de Colldejou, Llaberia/Catalan Coastal Mountain ranges, plus the La Figuera and Tormo mountains.
The region isn’t completely mountainous, however….
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