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You are here: Home / Archives for Black slate

Bodegas Mas Alta

November 8, 2013 by Joe Becerra

bodegas-mas-alta

Bodegas Mas Alta

In a previous post I gave an overview of the Priorat and Montsant wine regions of Spain. Over the next few weeks I will be posting about individual wineries we visited in these two areas. I will begin with Bodegas Mas Alta. It turns out, as I discovered on this visit to Bodegas Mas Alta, that the winery produces a favorite wine of ours called Black Slate. I reviewed the wine last January on another blog, Wine Values and Bargains. It is a delicious wine reflecting the characteristics of the Priorat region, and it is a fantastic value at under $20.

When we arrived for our visit at Bodegas Mas Alta, the winery was a filled with activity. The winery was experiencing the “crush” at full throttle. Grapes were being brought into the winery, sorted, and delivered to the fermenting tanks. The sorting occurs in two phases. In the first sort, grape clusters are inspected, with any bad fruit removed. The clusters are processed, releasing all the grapes from the stems. At the next sort table, individual berries are inspected and any bad ones removed. The next stage was something I had not seen in any of the many wineries I have visited. The sorted berries drop into a rubber basket about 5 gallons in size. A worker then picks up the basket and dumps the grapes into a large cylindrical stainless steel bin. When that bin is filled with the grape berries, it is attached to a pulley system. Using a hand-held remote control device, the worker directs this cylindrical bin until it is directly over a large cement-fermenting tank. The grapes are then dropped into the fermenting tanks. Check it out in this video.

We love the setting of this winery as you drive along the steep switch-back roads. The winery has a majestic look, Spanish in style and blending in perfectly with the terrain. From the front patio of the winery we get a stunning view of the village, Vilella Alta, sitting on a hill above the winery. This is where we tasted and discussed the wonderful wines of Bodegas Mas Alta.

Bodegas Mas Alta is owned by a Belgian couple, but they entrust much of the winery operations to enologist Bixente Ocagrain and his wife Diane. They greeted us (14 wine bloggers) and led us on a tour of the winery and a tasting of their wonderful wines. The winery is located in the town of Vilella Alta and is in a nature reserve. If you are visiting the Priorat area, be sure to visit this winery. You will enjoy everything about your visit.

Tasting wine at Bodegas Mas Alta - The village Vilella Alta in the background

Tasting wine at Bodegas Mas Alta – The village Vilella Alta in the background

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country, Wine Information Tagged With: Black slate, Bodegas Mas Alta, Crush activities, Vilella Alta

The Priorat and Montsant Wine Regions of Spain

October 30, 2013 by Joe Becerra

We have just gotten back from four intense but enjoyable days of visiting the wineries in the Priorat and Montsant wine regions of Spain. This excursion was a “Press Trip” sponsored by the 2013 Digital Wine Communication Conference (DWCC). I will be writing more about our individual winery experiences, but for now we offer some general information about these two dynamic wine regions in the Catalan region of Spain.

The Priorat is a county and within that county reside two official wine regions, the Montsant (D.0.) and the Priorat (D.O.Q). Geographically the Montsant wine region surrounds the Priorat wine region, and what separates the two regions is the soil. The Priorat soil consists of layers upon layers of slate, with a thin clay soil separating each layer. They call this soil “llicorella.” In the Montsant D.O. the soil types vary. There are limestone, red clay, stone, and some of the same slate that’s in the Priorat, but only in a few areas of the region. It is easy to determine, when you are driving these roads, whether you are in the Montsant or Priorat regions just by observing the soil. If it is all slate, you are in the Priorat wine region.

Priorat and Montsant wine regions

The black slate soil of Priorat

Red clay soil in the Montsant

Red clay soil in the Montsant

The scenery in these wine regions is very dramatic! We traveled in two four-wheel-drive vehicles with a group of 14 wine bloggers and our wonderful tour guide, Rachel Ritchie, hired by the DWCC. The roads are very windy and to get to some of the vineyards and wineries, it is necessary to have an off-road vehicle. Rachel leads us to the most important wineries in the two regions and to the meetings with some of the most respected winemakers in Spain. Many Spaniards come to visit these two regions, some staying for the day or for a brief vacation. For those out of the area, my suggestion would be to hire a guide and arrange all the visits, and then leave the driving to the locals.

Terraced vines in Priorat

Terraced vines in Priorat

The main grapes in this area are Grenache, Carignane, Grenache Blanc and a few other varietals. Priorat wines have jumped into the limelight with prestigious scores and accolades from wine publications and famous wine critics. In 2006 the Priorat was awarded the designation D.O.Q. This is the highest wine region designation in Spain and only one other region, the Rioja, has this distinction. The Montsant region had taken a back seat to the Priorat, but recently has come into is own as a great wine region. After all, the climate and geography are very much the same; it is the soil that is the difference. The Montsant does have older vines, and that might be its claim to fame over the Priorat.

Overall I found the wines of the Priorat to be big, bold, strong in character and very balanced. If you like big wines, you will like the wines of the Priorat. In general I found the Montsant wines to be a tad lighter in style, but overall excellent in quality.

Many of the wineries, especially in the Montsant, practice various levels of organic farming. Many are fully certified biodynamic wineries. This is not a PR strategy but a way of life among the farmers and winemakers of the region. They are very proud and deeply rooted in their land and grapes.

Here is a quick glance of the wineries we visited in both regions.

Priorat wineries

  • Ferrer Bobet – New, modern, and high on a hill with spectacular vistas
  • Clos Figueres – Beautiful wines and a wonderful restaurant to enjoy
  • Bodegues Mas Alta – Belgian owned, modern, with high-tech winemaking equipment
  • Burgos Porta – Small family-run winery tucked away in the Priorat
  • Terroir al Límit – We met outspoken winemaker Dominik A. Huber
  • Clos Mogador – The owner is the legendary Rene Barbier one of the most important figures in the Priorat
  • Trossos Winery – A new winery dug into the side of a mountain, with a few new guest rooms. Great views!
  • Mas Doix – Yet another pioneering winery of the Priorat
  • Portal del Periot – Architect Alfredo Arribas makes wine in both the Priorat and Montsant

Montsant

  • Vinyes Domenech – Rita Granache Blanc was delicious with our tapas lunch, excellent vineyard walk
  • Falset-Marçà – A very small family winery, with lodging nearby
  • Vermunver – A full lineup of fresh and exciting wines
  • Celler de Capçanes – A cooperative winery producing amazing Kosher wines and the Mas Donis Barrica which I buy at home
  • Capafons-Ossó – Frances Capafons runs two wineries, one in each wine region
  • Baronia de Montsant – We tasted at our lunch some of the most delicious Montsant wines of trip

Filed Under: Montsant, Priorat, Wine Tourism Tagged With: Black slate, llicorella, Montsant, Priorat, Spain

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