Montsant (wine region)
Montsant is a wine-growing region in Catalonia . It is located about 30 km west of Tarragona on the slopes of the Montsant mountain range . Together with the Priorat , it is Catalonia's oldest wine-growing region. Already in the Middle Ages it was one of the most important wine-growing regions in Spain.
Most of the cultivated area is in the Comarca Priorat , a small proportion also in the Comarca Ribera d'Ebre .
The following municipalities are in the DO Montsant: la Bisbal de Falset , Cabacés , Capçanes , Cornudella de Montsant , La Figuera , Els Guiamets , Marçà , Margalef , El Masroig , Pradell de la Teixeta , La Torre de Fontaubella and Ulldemolins , as well as parts of the districts from Falset , Garcia , El Molar , Móra la Nova and Tivissa .
The cultivation areas totaling around 2,058 hectares (as of 2003) are located on mineral-rich soils at an altitude of 200 to 700 meters. The climate forms a balance between the temperate Mediterranean climate and the colder mountain climate. The amount of precipitation is slightly higher than that of the surrounding regions.
The designation of origin was created in 2001. Previously, this growing area was considered the "sub-zone Falset" of the DO Tarragona . The reason for this was the great success of the quality wines from the Priorat and the clear differences in character to the wines from Falset. The initiators were the cooperatives from Capçanes, Falset-Marçà and El Masroig.
Mainly red wines are made from the Carignan and Grenache grape varieties . Various dessert wines such as Vi Ranci , Vin Doux Naturel from Grenache and Mistela are also produced . Capçanes is home to one of the few European wine producers who produce kosher wines in accordance with Jewish dietary laws .
About 70% of the wine production is exported, mainly to Germany, England, USA, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
See also the article Viticulture in Spain .
Grape varieties
The white grape varieties Chardonnay , Garnacha Blanca , Macabeo , Moscatel , Pansal , Parellada and Torbato are permitted . For the red varieties, this applies to Cabernet Sauvignon , Carinena Mazuela , Garnacha , Garnacha Peluda , Merlot , Monastrell , Picapoll , Syrah and Tempranillo .
literature
- John Radford: The New Spain. A complete guide to contemporary Spanish Wine. Mitchell Beazley, London 1998, ISBN 1-85732-254-1 .
- Jan Read: Spain's Wines 2005/06. 7th, revised, updated edition. Hallwag im Gräfe und Unzer Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-7742-6962-9 .
- Jeremy Watson: The new & classical Wines of Spain. Montagud Editores, Barcelona 2002, ISBN 84-7212-087-2 .