Priorat

Priorat is a small, dynamic wine region in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, whose intense, full-bodied red wines have shot to fame in the past few decades. The classic Priorat wine is made from old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena, and has concentrated aromas of licorice, tar and brandied cherries.

Red Priorat wine (the region also produces tiny quantities of white and rosé) is exceptional in three key regards. First, it is one of very few world-class wine styles to be based on Grenache – a category in which it is joined only by red Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the top-end wines from California's Sine Qua Non. Second, it is one of only two styles to hold Spain's top-tier DOCa classification (the other being Rioja). And third, it has risen from being almost unheard-of on the international wine market to being one of the world's most expensive wines.