DO Montsant wines rooted in a sense of place

Wine glasses filled with DO Montsant (DOM) wines to taste is the way I remember that February evening in Falset. An evening in Falset when we were introduced to DO Montsant wines. We had come to Costa Daurada to celebrate our 6th #Winelover Anniversary. Our days were completely filled with awesome wine adventures. Now, as the evening began, I found myself in awe of what awaited. DO Montsant wines are wines with a sense of place. True, many wines have been described as having a sense of place. Nowhere is this more applicable than DO Montsant, with its designated wine zones.

Discovering DO Montsant Wines © Spaswinefood

We arrived in Falset late in the afternoon.

Falset, DO Montsant © Spaswinefood

We had time explore a little before our wine tasting and dinner at Hostal Sport.

Hostal Sport, Falset © Spaswinefood

Given the limited time I did manage to take a peek at the local wine shop, Aguiló.

Aguiló, Falset © Spaswinefood

This is a great place for visitors to pickup Priorat and Montsant wines.

DO Montsant
DO Montsant, Tarragona Province takes its name from the Montsant Mountains. Located in one of southern Catalonia's most scenic areas, the DO forms a C shape, almost completely surrounding DOQ Priorat. Winemaking here dates back to Roman times, followed by the Catholic monks in the Middle Ages. It was previously known as the Falset subzone of Tarragona wine region. This subzone existed in Tarragona's shadow until growers successful petitioned to have it recognized. DO Montsant was founded in 2001, with the first wines released in 2001. Today the DO includes approximately 57 wineries, two of which produce Kosher wines.

Off to DO Montsant © Spaswinefood

After an amazing trip to Priorat our wine country we concluded the day with a wine tasting and dinner at Hostal Sport, Falset. The wine tasting was a complete Montsant zone tasting. While DO Montsant is still considered in its infancy this DO is considered to be a rising star in the wine world. This is because of the quality of the wines produced from its Garnatxa (Genache) and Carinyena (Carignan) grapes. Approximateley 94% of the wines produced here are red wines. The authorized red grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache, Hairy Grenache, Merlot, Mourvedre, Red Picapoll, Syrah and Tempranillo. The whites included Chardonnay, White Grenache, Macabeo, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, and Parellada.

DO Montsant Wine Tasting © Spaswinefood

DO Montsant consists of six wine zones. Each of these zones have been defined by factors, such as their unique physical geography, soils and climatic variations. Despite its close proximity to Priorat, the terroir of Montsant is quite distinctive. It is this uniqueness in terroir that gives DO Montsant wines such a difference in wine style.

Tasting DO Montsant Wines

Ready to Taste DO Montsant Wines © Spaswinefood

Let me share the wines that I tasted.

DO Montsant Wines © Spaswinefood

It was an exciting lineup of wines from the six zones.

1. La Figuera, Cabacés La Bisbal, Margalef Zone
The first wine was from La Figuera, Cabacés La Bisbal, Margalef area.

Sindicat de la Figuera, DO Montsant 2016 (Grenache)

Sindicat de la Figuera, Garnatxa DO Montsant 2016 © Spaswinefood

2. El Masroig, Darmós, El Molar Zone
The next three wines were from El Masroig, Darmós, El Molar area.

Celler Masroig, DO Montsant 2015 (100% Carignan)

Celler Masroig, DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

Vinyes d'en Gabriel,  Plan'elle DO Montsant 2014 (100% Carignan)

Vinyes d'en Gabriel,  Plan'elle DO Montsant 2014 © Spaswinefood

Orto Vins, Les Comes d'Orto DO Montsant 2015

Orto Vins, Les Comes d'Orto DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

3. Marça, Capçanes, Els Guiamets, La Serra d'Alamos Zone
The next three wines were from Marça, Capçanes, Els Guiamets, La Serra d'Alamos area.

Celler Capçanes, La Nit de las Garnatxes DO Montsant 2016

Celler Capçanes, La Nit de las Garnatxes DO Montsant 2016 © Spaswinefood

Vendrell Rived, Miloca Carinyena DO Montsant 2017 (100% Carignan)

Vendrell Rived, Miloca Carinyena DO Montsant 2017 © Spaswinefood

Celler Cedó, Clonic Amfora DO Montsant 2015

Celler Cedó, Clonic Amfora DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

5. Falset Zone 
From the Falset area we tasted the following three wines:

Estones Vins, Estones DO Montsant 2014

Estones Vins, Estones GS DO Montsant 2014 © Spaswinefood

Venus la Universal, Dido DO Montsant 2016

Venus la Universal, Dido DO Montsant 2016 © Spaswinefood

Celler Comunica, Comunica DO Montsant 2015

Celler Comunica, Comunica DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

6. Pradell de la Teixeta, La Torre de Fontaubella Zone
We tasted one wine from the Pradell de la Teixeta, La Torre de Fontaubella area.

Cellers Sant Rafel, Joana DO Montsant 2016

Cellers Sant Rafel, Joana DO Montsant 2016 © Spaswinefood

Cornudella de Montsant, Ulldemolins
The last two wines were from the Cornudella de Montsant, Ulldemolins area.

Cooperativa Uldemolins, Ssshhhhh DO Montsant 2016

Cooperativa Uldemolins, Ssshhhhh DO Montsant 2016 © Spaswinefood

Vins Nus, Siuralta Rouge DO Montsant 2015

Vins Nus, Siuralta Rouge DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

After the wine tasting we ate dinner with Montsant wines. 

Dinner, Hostal Sport, Falset © Spaswinefood

During dinner I tasted three more wines, all from the Marça, Capçanes, Els Guiamets, La Serra d'Alamos area.

Acustic Celler, Braó DO Montsant 2015

Acustic Celler, Braó DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

Genesi Varietal, Vinyes Velles de Carinyena DO Montsant 2013

Gènesi Varietal, Vinyes Velles de Carinyena DO Montsant 2013 © Spaswinefood

This wine is produced by Cellar Vermunver, Marça.

Celler Cal Bessó, La Prunera DO Montsant 2015

 Celler Cal Bessó, La Prunera DO Montsant 2015 © Spaswinefood

This was the sixth wine that I tasted from the Marça, Capçanes, Els Guiamets, La Serra d'Alamos area. There was also a dessert wine from the same wine zone.

Cooperativa Falset Marça, Dolc Joglar DO Montsant (100% Carignan)

Cooperativa Falset Marça, Dolc Joglar DO Montsant © Spaswinefood

Concluding our day with Montsant wines was indeed a rewarding vine-filled day. Next day, we would continue to explore more DO Montsant wines at Vinyes Domènech. 

Vinyes Domènech, DOM © Spaswinefood

Wine Tasting,Vinyes Domènech © Spaswinefood

Our Vinyes Domènech experience included a very special wine pairing with nature. The Domènech family is committed to maintaining a wine estate that is expressive of the landscape and its unique biodiversity. Clearly, we discovered DO Monsant wines, which are rooted in a sense of place.

Our Costa Daurada #Winelover 6th Anniversary certainly provided an amazing overview of DO Montsant. I would like to note that DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat will participate in the Falset Wine Fair in May 4-6, 2018. This #winelover would like to thank our host Sinisa Curavic, SweetEasy and the sponsors of Costa Daurada #Winelover 6th Anniversary. The organization was truly outstanding. I invite you to join me in my explorations of Costa Daurada and elsewhere at Spaswinefood. 

Sharon

February 2018
Tarragona, Spain 

© Spaswinefood

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Note: I would like to note that part of the expenses for local events was covered by the sponsors. All other expenses (travel and lodging) was covered by Spaswinefood.