Priorat and Penedès explained. Old vines, black slate and Catalan creativity.

Catalonia's two famous regions

Penedès and Priorat lie in Catalonia in northeastern Spain, south of Barcelona, a region with its own language and a strong identity. Penedès stretches from the Mediterranean coast to the inland hills of Montserrat. Priorat is a small, rugged and mountainous area further inland, with extremely steep hillsides.

Penedès is best known for the sparkling wine Cava, which has its own episode, but it also makes a wide range of still wines. Priorat rose to fame much more recently for its powerful reds from Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena (Carignan).

Penedès: three climates and many grapes

Penedès has three climatic zones. The flat coastal strip is warmest, with a Mediterranean climate. Central Penedès, in the valleys behind the coastal hills, is a little cooler but still warm. Alt Penedès, with vineyards up to 800 meters, is much cooler, with big seasonal shifts and wide day-night temperature swings.

These microclimates allow many styles. Xarel·lo is the key traditional white, giving still wines with lemony, stone fruit flavors, and it is blended with Macabeo and Parellada for Cava. Red grapes include Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Garnacha and Tempranillo, called Ull de Llebre here, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Miguel Torres pioneered French and German varieties in Penedès. Today the Torres family is searching for pre-phylloxera ancestral varieties that may cope better with climate change; Querol and Garró now appear in their flagship Grans Muralles.

Priorat: slate, slopes and old vines

In the 19th century Priorat had far more vineyards than today, and only some high, hard-to-work sites survived. From the late 1980s, a group of visionary winemakers including René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios revived the region, and within about 15 years its wines were among the most expensive in Spain.

Protected by the Serra de Montsant, vineyards lie between about 100 and 800 meters, with long, warm, dry summers and cooler nights. Vines cling to slopes that can reach 60% gradient, on a soil of black slate flecked with mica called llicorella. It reflects and stores heat, and forces roots deep for water. Machines cannot work these slopes and old vines give tiny yields, so Priorat is never cheap. Blends show deep color, firm tannins, black fruit, licorice and a stony minerality.

Monks founded the region, and its name comes from "priory". Its classification, Els noms de la terra, follows a Burgundian pyramid: regional wines, Vi de Vila (village), Vi de Paratge (named site), and single-vineyard Vinya Classificada and Gran Vinya Classificada. White Priorat from Garnacha Blanca, sometimes fermented on skins, is a small but intriguing category.

The experiment: climate change in the vineyard

With toy cars and plants, Marc shows how rising temperatures affect viticulture. Riper grapes mean more sugar, higher alcohol and lower acidity, which can make wines flabby. Growers can respond by planting higher, choosing cooler slope aspects, changing rootstocks or switching grape varieties, as Bordeaux has started to do. It is a reminder that grape choice, site and alcohol levels are all part of the climate story, a theme that runs through many regions in the course. Watch how the demonstration ends.

Food pairings and blind tastings

The hosts taste Torres Grans Muralles with a slow-cooked lamb stew with black olives, a pale and floral 100% Garnacha from Montsant, and a rare single-variety Cariñena from Priorat. Montsant, which surrounds Priorat, is recommended for similar wines at gentler prices.

Two blind tastings follow, one white and one red, the second paired with a simple rosemary-scented entrecôte. Marc also explains why pale color and high alcohol can point to Garnacha. These clues help you prepare for WSET Level 3.