Quite often,
Catalan people have the tendency of thinking that Catalonia finishes at the
Ebre river (or Ebro, in Spanish), but that’s not true because when you cross
the river you can find an incredible region, the Terra Alta!
This area has
the typical characteristics of Mediterranean areas: with lime coastal mountain ranges, little
streams, mountains with conglomerate rocks, Mediterranean forests with pine
tree and holm oaks, crops of olive and almond trees and, as well, vineyards, of
course.
The climate
in this area is quite different from other regions of Catalonia because the
summer is typical of the Mediterranean zones: sunny, with hot days, fresh
nights and not much rain... the winter has a continental climate.
With all these
characteristics it’s obvious that the wines from Terra Alta are different from
other wines of Catalonia. And
unfortunately it’s been the great forgotten area, like Priorat years ago, when
people think of quality wines. Nowadays people’s perception is changing because
they are discovering the great wines, as result of the support for traditional
grape varieties, specially the White Grenache, that’s become the bearer from
Terra Alta.
