📍 Montsant

Montsant is a wine zone in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia. The name comes from the Serra de Montsant mountain range. The district almost completely surrounds the better-known Priorat (DOQ). The territory used to be the Falset subzone of the Tarragona appellation and became a separate appellation in the early 2000s: regional approval came in 2001, and from 2002 the wines were sold as Montsant. The district is part of Catalonia.

The vineyards lie in varied conditions, from the small plain near Falset and Marçà to high villages such as La Figuera at 575 metres. Soils and altitude give variety in the wines.

The main grapes are Carignan (called samsó in Catalan) and Garnacha. Syrah also grows. They give red wines, dense and dark, but usually better value than those of Priorat. White wines are made too, for example from Garnacha Blanca.

Since 2002 the number of wineries has grown from 28 to 55. Montsant quickly became popular with those who want Priorat character without Priorat prices. The district covers the part of the Priorat comarca that is not in DOQ Priorat, and part of the neighbouring Ribera d'Ebre comarca.