The wines styles of Priorat and Montsant

Apart from the characteristic concentrated reds, various producers from the Priorat region are also making a surprising amount of interesting white wines styles from unusual grapes varieties such as Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache), Macabeo and Pedro Ximenez (the key player in Sherry country, used for “Amontillados” and “Olorosos”). Priorat white wines are also high in alcohol content and regularly reach 13.5-14%. They are often fermented in French oak, have deep golden colors, and are said to be “luscious, powerful, even oily, and cry out for food.” A few worth trying are: Mas d’en Compte “Blanc;” Costers del Siurana’s “Kyrie;” and La Conreria de Scala Dei’s “Nona.”

Apart from the reds and the whites, there is also a very peculiar wine made in both Priorat and Montstant called Vi Ranci, or “rancid wine.” This wine smells and looks like a port, however it is drier and much more tannic. Vi Ranci is typically used as a dessert wine and in cooking, and is aged in barrels at a higher than normal temperature to allow for a natural oxidation process to take place. A few to look out for are the Vi Ranci from the Cooperativa de Falset and Coster del Siurana’s “Dolç de L’Obac.”

Finally, another interesting desert wine that comes out the region (although it doesn’t follow a fermentation process) is Mistela, which is a sweet white wine that is also used as an accompaniment to local desserts.