Terra Alta is just about possible to visit as a day trip from Girona if you get an early start. The roads are motorway almost the whole way and with the new Reus bypass open it cuts at least half an hour off the trip to Falset in the Montsant.
Why go to these places you ask, what's there that is worth sitting in a car for over 2 hours each way?
Well, several things actually, as they happen to be interesting areas from a geological point of view with mountains and the river Ebro as important features, but mostly the visits are to discover good value wines and excellent olive oil.
These two regions are the decidedly poor cousins of the Priorat wine region which is also nearby but has been much better at putting itself on the world wine map.
Terra Alta and Montsant both have the poor soils, rolling or steep hills, extreme weather and little rain which provides the raw materials for producing wines with character. There are fewer wineries here as most of the hot money went to Priorat which had a better name and where the wines commanded a premium while the world economy boomed.
Red wines from these areas are mainly made from the garnacha (grenache in France) and cariñena (carignan in France) grapes which complement each other very well in aromas, colour and structure.
The whites tend to be garnacha blanca, xarello or macabeu mixed with some more recent arrivals like chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Both red and whites can be on the alcoholic side, purely a factor of the long hours of sunshine all year long.
Visiting some of the smaller producers is especially rewarding as they are trying to get away from the co-op image of quantity over quality. The younger winemakers are emphasising more fruit and less oak for fresher wines which appeal to an international palate.
These are the perfect places to discover wines to weather the economic crisis as they are easy to drink and very affordable.
We organise wine tours to many of the 12 Catalan "Denominaciones de Origen" (like the appellations in France)- please email: discovergirona@gmail.com for more information.
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