Not Just Priorat's Shadow - Why Montsant Deserves the Spotlight
- the cool cousin with a story to tell
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I never tire of historic references relating to vine growing & winemaking areas. In this case we are talking about the subregion of Montsant in Catalunya, Spain (about 200 km west of Barcelona). Vines were grown in the area in 1166, though Montsant only became an official subregion in 2001.
The goal of creating the subregion was to make it stand out from the Falset subzone which was within the larger subzone of Tarragona it used to be part of. What I have learned through my research is that this is a very misunderstood area! It has been super interesting to uncover it!
Okay fill me in …give me context.
We need to start with the Priorat subregion – you may have read my article entitiled The Priorat Rebirth Story.
I love its hippy story!
Everyone loves a good hippy!
Montsant, which means “holy mountain”, is in the same area – in fact Montsant literally surrounds Priorat! Both subregions are sheltered by the Serra de Montsant (Montsant Mountain Range).
They share a lot of similarities. Both subregions share similar climate and elevation, both can have very old vines, and their dominant grape varieties are Grenache/Garnacha and Carignan/Carineña for reds. Both regions make mostly reds with Montsant making 90%-95% red. The smaller quantities of white and orange wines are made from Grenache blanc/Garnacha blanca & Macabeo/Viura.
Related but different.
If they are so similar, why aren’t they the same sub-region?
In my WSET diploma syllabus, the difference between Priorat and Montsant is simplified to mostly variation in soils. It emphasized that Priorat is llicorella (schist/slate) dominant (with some areas with higher clay) and Monsant is not. In general terms this is true, BUT the geology is very complex throughout Montsant with different soil types – sand, calcareous, slate & clay, silts and combinations thereof.
This leads to more variety within Monsant wines.
To better understand the intricacies of Montsant, the Montsant subregion started a zonal study in 2008. This led to breaking down the region into 6 different zones based on climate, landscape, soils, and ripening cycles of Grenache and Carignan vineyards. This work is ongoing as they increase their understanding.
I am always amazed how much research goes into wine regions!
Me too. This is not a huge area, with less than 2000 hectares of vineyards, about 700 grape growers, and around 60 wineries – with most of these being cooperatives.
Enter - Celler de Capçanes, the producer of the featured wine, which operates as a cooperative. They are located in the red zonal section pictured here.
What is extra cool is that the woman who made this wine has been awarded winemaker of the year several times by different publications and organizations. In 2024 when she won (again), her entry included the featured wine … (I believe it as it is delicious!!)
Tell me more about her!
Anna Rovira is the chief winemaker and technical director at Celler de Capçanes. She finds “the world of wine is exciting; it mixes a creative side with a more technical side.”
Like many Spanish winemakers … she is an engineer.
(which makes her extra cool)
Of course! 😊
In the past, to be accepted into the oenology (winemaking) department in Catalunya, you had to have another degree. Engineering was a common first degree.
And what about the winery she works at?
As mentioned, Celler de Capçanes is a cooperative. Capçanes is one of the villages within Montsant. Originally, the cooperative was composed of five families.
Hippies?
This was in the 1930s, so probably not! They produced the wine for the whole town of Capçanes. Hence the name Celler (winery) de Capçanes. Eventually they restructured as they wanted to grow. Now there are 80 winegrowing partners who contribute their fruit to the cooperative.
One of their focuses is the preservation of old vineyards. Anna explains how the vines would otherwise be uprooted as members retire (the average age of the members is 70 years old.). Some of the Celler’s vines are as old as 110 years old.
The featured wine today, Mas Tortó 2022 is a roughly equal blend of Carinena, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Garnacha coming from vines of 50 to 70 years of age grown on granitic and clay soils.
Read on to learn more!
Don’t mind if I do!
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Celler de Capçcanes Mas Tortó 2022 from Montsant, Catalunya, Spain
Style: Medium Body Old World Red Wine
Varieties: 35% Cariñena, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Garnacha
This elegant wine with iris perfume, has red cherry, blueberry, bramble flavors with a hint of kirsch and balsamic finishing with the complexity of vanilla and milk chocolate. It has finesse with moderate slightly grainy tannins, moderate intensity, and a persistent finish.
Best pairings: Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, Chorizo, Jamón Ibérico, Turkey with cranberry sauce, Patatas brava, Tortilla Española (Spanish potato and egg dish), Lentil stew, Aged cheddar, Gouda, or Manchego.
Serving Temperature: 16-18 degrees Celsius
Serving Tips: Decant and serve immediately.
Price: ~$46 Cdn
If you're in Alberta and want a one-on-one wine curation experience, please reach out! No commitment or minimum purchase required. Interested? Please reach out!
If you live in Edmonton - I am here for you too! (No, contrary to the rumours - Cork is NOT opening a store in Edmonton BUT we want to deliver to YOU!)
A huge thank you to my paid subscribers—your support helps cover the costs of creating these weekly articles.
Love my wine recommendations? Enjoy my personal wine curation service? If you find value in my writing, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help me keep sharing the world of wine with you!
I have compiled all my wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
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SOURCES:
Celler de capçanes – l’esperit D’un Poble (no date) Celler de Capçanes – l’esperit d’un poble. Available at: https://www.cellercapcanes.com/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Do montsant (no date) Turisme Priorat. Available at: https://www.turismepriorat.org/en/do-montsant (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Estudis de Zonificació (2020) DO Montsant. Available at: https://www.domontsant.com/project/estudis-de-zonificacio/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Exhibition of the life priorat+montsant project (no date) LIFE PRIORAT+MONTSANT. Available at: https://lifeprioratmontsant.eu/exhibition-of-life-prioratmontsant-project/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Gaughan, M. (1970) Wine education - matthew’s world of wine and drink, listen • learn • share. Available at: https://www.matthewsworldofwineanddrink.com/new-posts (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Harding, J. and Robinson, J. (2023) The oxford companion to wine. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Història de la do Montsant (2024) DO Montsant. Available at: https://www.domontsant.com/historia-i-tradicio/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Jamiegoode (2025) Terroir al Límit and terroir sense fronteres: Stunning, brave wines from Priorat and Montsant by Dominik and Tatjana (updated 2025), wineanorak.com. Available at: https://wineanorak.com/2025/05/21/terroir-al-limit-and-terroir-sense-fronteres-stunning-brave-wines-from-priorat-and-montsant-by-dominic-and-tatjana/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Lomax, C. et al. (2024) The montsant report 2024, Club Oenologique. Available at: https://cluboenologique.com/report/montsant-wine-report-spain-2024/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
MacNeil, K. (2022) The wine bible. New York, NY: Workman Publishing.
Montsant - wine region in Catalunya, Spain (no date) WineTourism.com. Available at: https://www.winetourism.com/wine-appellation/montsant/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Rimontgó (2023) The differences between Priorat and Montsant: Rimontgó wineries, Rimontgo Wineries and Vineyards. Available at: https://www.rimontgowineries.com/blog/the-differences-between-priorat-and-montsant/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Vinyes I vins (2024) DO Montsant. Available at: https://www.domontsant.com/vinyes-vins/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
Of course she's special if she's an engineer ;) Love this. What a mix of science and geography. Eric's photo is excellent. Montsant is on the list ;) Thanks as always.
I tasted my first Montsant wine last week and loved it! Interesting too about requiring another degree... I met an Italian winemaking student who also had a degree in engineering. I was a bit baffled at the time, but maybe it's more common than I realised!