The Priorat, a Carthusian priory turned into one of Spain's two qualified denominations.

In the Priorat you do not see the vineyards from the road: you see them from above, hanging in terraces over ravines, with the grey crags of the Montsant range closing the horizon to the north. It is a small district in the interior of Tarragona, with villages of a few hundred inhabitants and winding roads, and a wine that shares with Rioja the category of qualified denomination. The route fits into two or three days and is organised around two places: Escaladei, where it all began, and Gratallops, where the small wineries are concentrated.

Llicorella, garnacha and cariñena

The soil has its own name: llicorella, a reddish and black slate that glitters in the sun because of its mica and breaks into sheets. The climate is continental: long, hot, dry summers, winters that drop below zero and between 400 and 600 mm of rain a year. The vines are between 100 and 700 metres. The red grapes that dominate are garnacha and cariñena, which is the key to today's wines, with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah as a complement; among whites, garnacha blanca, macabeo and pedro ximénez, among others.

The denomination is small: in 2010 it had 1,888 hectares and 92 wineries. Around it, like a ring, is the DO Montsant.

Escaladei: the charterhouse and its winery

The district's name comes from the priory of the Escaladei charterhouse, founded in the 12th century, the Carthusians' first on the peninsula. Today it is a ruin beneath the crags, with its cloisters, the church and a reconstructed cell; entry costs €7, the guided visit €11, and it is closed on Mondays. In the village, Cellers de Scala Dei, which presents itself as the oldest winery in the Priorat, goes down into its 17th-century cellar on a 90-minute visit with four wines for €25, in Spanish at 13:30 and 16:00; if you are looking for garnachas, its tasting of six costs €50.

1.5 km from the charterhouse, the monks' farm is now Terra Dominicata, a hotel and winery with 22 hectares of organic vineyard around it, which shows how it makes its wines with four wines for €20, every day.

Gratallops and the road to Porrera

Gratallops, perched above the Siurana river, brings together several small wineries with visits. Devinssi takes you out into the vineyard before tasting, from €20 per person with a minimum of two. On the road towards La Vilella Baixa, Buil & Giné tastes five wines for €35 and gives you a walk round the estate guided by your phone, the Vineyard Bath. To the south, on the T-740 between Falset and Porrera, Ferrer Bobet offers a two-and-a-half-hour vineyard and winery visit with three wines for €50.

Outside the DOQ, to the north, in Cornudella, Montsant Natura offers guided 4x4 routes among the vines with a tasting, and in harvest season the La Bisbal cooperative opens its oil mill, with a tasting of its arbequina, for €8.

A table at the winery

Mater Terrae, the Terra Dominicata restaurant, has more than 300 wines from the Priorat and Montsant, for comparing villages and terroirs; it serves lunch from 13:00 to 14:30, adults only. Amics, at the top of the Buil & Giné winery, serves a seasonal menu with its wines, at lunchtime every day except Wednesday. And in Gratallops, La Boca del Llop has a menu of Priorat wines only, by the glass, with cured meats from La Vilella Baixa.

Hotels among the vines

This is what is most worth booking in advance. Terra Dominicata has 26 adults-only rooms in the former Carthusian farm, with the winery next door, an outdoor spa among olive trees and a swimming pool; the charterhouse is a 40-minute walk away. At the Buil & Giné winery there are three rooms with a terrace over the vines, one with a kitchen. In the village of Gratallops, the Hotel Cal Llop has ten rooms and packs with visits to two wineries and an oil tasting.

Harvest, new oil and summer without shade

Spring and autumn. The harvest, in September and October, turns the vineyards gold and red; in December the new oil comes out, and on 6 December 2026 the La Bisbal cooperative holds its festival. In July and August, walks along the terraces should be first thing: there is no shade. In winter the district is quiet and the wineries stay open by reservation.

How to get back without driving

There are no shortcuts here: between wineries there is no practical public transport and the roads are narrow and winding. The sensible thing is to sleep where you taste: at Terra Dominicata, the visit, the meal and the charterhouse are all on foot; at Buil & Giné, the tasting and the meal are in the same building as your bed; in Gratallops, Devinssi, the wine bar and the hotel are within walking distance. If you do not stay in the district, have someone who does not drink drive, or see the vineyards on the guided 4x4 from Cornudella.

To organise it, there is a day between Gratallops and Buil & Giné with a night in the village and two nights at Terra Dominicata. About 40 minutes by car, Siurana completes the route with its crag and reservoir.