Spend a day to discover the History of the Wines in la Terra Alta and of course – try them!
Terra Alta, in contrary to the Priorat, is a Land of white wines – specifically the White Grenache (Garnacha Blanca). Here 90% of Catalonia’s Grenache Blanc is grown and an estimated one third of the world’s production.
Therefore, if you are planning to visit Priorat on your trip to Catalonia, then you should also put Terra Alta on your list.
There is no way we can discover the whole Terra Alta in one day. But we are starting with the Origin of the Wine culture of this small and exclusive wine region – the beautiful Wine Cooperatives of la Terra Alta.
Wine Cooperative - what is it and why should I visit them?
Wine Cooperatives generally speaking are wine productions that are owned by several members. Multiple people join their grape harvest and produce wine with their grapes combined. This is not only done with wine but also eg. Olive oil.
A lot of people think that the wine produced through the Cooperatives is of lower quality and less exclusive than the Wines you can try at private Wineries.
While it is correct that by mixing the grapes in a cooperative way you will not be able to define a wie as closely as at wineries. However, the wines we tried in Cooperatives of la Terra Alta where absolutely delicious. Apart from that, it forms a major part in the history of the region and its wines. It is therefore a must-visit for anyone coming to this region.
The Wine Cathedrals of Terra Alta
Even if you do not like wine, the Cooperatives in Terra Alta are absolutely stunningly beautiful and their architecture will impress you.
The two Cooperatives in Terra Alta are called ‘Catedral de Vi’ (Wine Cathedral) origin from the same Architect, César Martinell. The D.O. Terra Alta in general has a long cooperative tradition. In fact it is in Pinell de Brai where César Martinell built his best known work – the town’s wine cooperative
The Cathedral of Pinell del Brai
The Cooperative was built around 100 years ago and can be visited. We purchased the Combi-ticket of the entrance and a tasting. If you plan to visit both of the Cathedrals the same day and only want to do one tasting, i recommend the one from the Gandesa’s Cooperative later on.
The visit of the Cathedral in Pinell de Brai is very interactive and interesting. You are scanning QR codes at all stations and the audioguide describes everything to you in your chosen language.
The Building
The building was designed by the Noucentist Artist, an admirer of Gaudi, César Martinell. The most impressive and beautiful part of the building is the upstairs hall of columns. You have as much time as you need to visit the building and once you are finished you can go to the showroom to do your tasting.
Lunchtime
If you want to stay for lunch in Pinell de Brai, the restaurant of and in the wine Cooperative is very recommendable. You can reserve the visit, tasting and lunch together.
If you want something less formal to eat, Pinell de Brai has plenty of local restaurant/bar options.
La Catedral de Vi de Gandesa
Why visit one Wine Cathedral if you can visit two?
The Cathedral of Wine of Gandesa, the Capital of the Region of Terra Alta.
You will realise the similarity as soon as you park in front of the building that they where designed by the same archtitect.
Again, we went for the visit with the audio guide in combination with a tasting. The woman guiding is through the tasting was absolutely lovely and knowledgeable.
The wine tasting can include not only wines but also 2 of their olive oils, which were so delicious.
Fun Fact: Close to the Catedral de Vi in Gandesa you can find the oldest Olive Tree in Catalonia.
More information on the Wine from la Terra Alta
The Province of Tarragona is home to 8 different Designation of Origins. One of them being D.O. Terra Alta. It was created in 1972 and is made up of twelve villages with about sixty wineries.
The region is located in the south of Catalonia, between the Ebro River and the border with Aragon. It has an extreme climate, as it is quite far from the sea: low rainfall, cold winters and strong sunshine in summer.
In addition, it is constantly buffeted by two winds, the cierzo (mountain wind) and the garbí (sea wind). These characteristics produce powerful, structured wines with high alcohol content.
The Grape
The jewel in the crown of this D.O. is the white Grenache. Without this grape, Terra Alta would still be a land of harsh and very alcoholic wines, produced by small wineries that would probably have been lost with the passing of generations and local cooperatives.
Grenache Blanc has put Terra Alta on the national and international wine map, winning 14 gold medals and 30 silver medals at the prestigious Grenaches du Monde awards.
This variety adapts very well to the climate of the area and produces white wines of a yellowish color -with shades ranging from pale yellow to golden- with a high intensity of flavors in the mouth.
Other traditional grape varieties are also grown here, although to a much lesser extent: garnacha negra, garnacha peluda, macabeo and cariñena.