Misplaced Pages

Terra Alta DOP

Wine region
Terra Alta DOP in the province of Tarragona in the region of Catalonia
Official name	D.O.P. Terra Alta
Type	Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Year established	1972
Country	Spain
No. of vineyards	6,066 hectares (14,989 acres)
No. of wineries	62
Wine produced	55,586 hectolitres
Comments	Data for 2016 / 2017

Terra Alta is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (Denominació d'Origen Protegida in Catalan) for Catalan wines, located in the west of the province of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) and covers 12 inland municipalities. As the name indicates (Terra Alta = High Land) the area is in the mountains. It features in a number of Picasso’s paintings.

Traditionally, due to its geographical isolation, this area traditionally only made wine for local consumption and has only recently started to produce modern Mediterranean style wines.

Several cooperative wineries were designed and built in the 1920s by Cèsar Martinell, a student of Antoni Gaudí, and are notable for their modernist architectural style.

History

In the times of the ancient Romans, the road from Zaragoza to Tortosa passed through the area, and is probably when grape growing was first introduced. In the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar planted vines, but the geographical distance to markets and to ports meant that a lot of vineyards were converted to olive groves instead.

There are extant legal documents on the regulation of the grape and wine industry: Las Costums d’Orta dating from 1296 and Las Costums de Miravet from 1319.

During the 19th century the vinos rancios (rancid wines) from Terra Alta, such as “Amber Blanc” attained great fame.

However, the area was devastated by the outbreak of the phylloxera bug. The current vineyards were replanted (by grafting onto New World rootstock) between 1920 and 1950, largely by means of the creations of cooperatives.

Terra Alta DOP acquired official status in 1972 and there are currently around 6,000 ha covered, with 1,242 grape growers and 62 wineries registered.

Geography

The main town in the area is Gandesa. To the east the Terra Alta DO borders on Tarragona (DO), while to the west it borders on the province of Teruel. The mountains reach a height of 950 m above sea level, though the vineyards are lower down on the slopes, valleys and plateaus.

Climate

The climate is mixture of Mediterranean and continental. The summers are long, hot and dry and the winters are very cold. The average annual temperature is 16.5 °C (max 35 °C in summer, min -5 °C in winter). There is a risk of late frosts in spring. Average annual rainfall is about 400 mm. A dry wind, known as el Mestral from the valley of the River Ebro is influential in keeping humidity low and thus protecting the vines from disease.

Soils

The soils are clayey, with a good lime content, poor in organic material, with a significant proportion of sizable elements which allows for good drainage.

Authorised Grape Varieties

The authorised grape varieties are:

• Red: Garnatxa Negra, Garnatxa Peluda, Samsó / Mazuela / Carignan, Ull de llebre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnatxa Tintorera, Syrah
• White: Garnatxa Blanca, Macabeu, Parellada, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Moscatell d’Alejandria, Chenin blanc, Pedro Ximénez, Chardonnay

References

1. "Denominación de Origen Protegida "Terra Alta"". www.mapa.gob.es. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
2. "DO Terra Alta - Denominación de origen Terra Alta". www.doterraalta.com. Retrieved 9 January 2020.

External links

• DOP Terra Alta Official Website

v t e Spanish wine regions
PDO: Protected Denominations of Origin Major regions Cava Navarra Priorat Rías Baixas Ribera del Duero Rioja Rueda Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Denominación  de origen  calificada (DOCa) Basque Country Rioja Catalonia Priorat La Rioja Rioja Navarre Rioja Denominación  de origen (DO) Andalusia Condado de Huelva Granada Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Málaga Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda Montilla-Moriles Sierras de Málaga Aragon Calatayud Campo de Borja Cariñena Somontano Cava Balearic Islands Binissalem Pla i Llevant Basque Country Txakoli de Álava Txakoli de Bizkaia Txakoli de Getaria Cava Canary Islands Abona El Hierro Gran Canaria La Gomera La Palma Lanzarote Tacoronte-Acentejo Valle de Güímar Valle de la Orotava Ycoden-Daute-Isora Castile and León Arlanza Arribes Bierzo Cigales Ribera del Duero Rueda Tierra de León Tierra del Vino de Zamora Toro Cava Castile–La Mancha Almansa Jumilla La Mancha Manchuela Méntrida Mondéjar Ribera del Júcar Uclés Valdepeñas Catalonia Alella Catalunya Conca de Barberà Costers del Segre Empordà Montsant Penedès Pla de Bages Tarragona Terra Alta Cava Extremadura Ribera del Guadiana Cava Galicia Monterrei Rías Baixas Ribeira Sacra Ribeiro Valdeorras La Rioja Cava Madrid Vinos de Madrid Murcia Bullas Jumilla Yecla Navarre Navarra Cava Valencia Alicante Utiel-Requena Valencia Cava Vino de Pago Aragon Pago Aylés Castile–La Mancha Campo de La Guardia Casa del Blanco Dehesa del Carrizal Dominio de Valdepusa El Vicario Finca Élez Guijoso La Jaraba Los Cerrillos Pago Calzadilla Pago Florentino Vallegarcía Navarre Arínzano Otazu Prado de Irache Valencia El Terrerazo Pago de Los Balagueses Vera de Estenas Vino de calidad Andalusia Lebrija Asturias Cangas Canary Islands Islas Canarias Castile and León Sierra de Salamanca Valles de Benavente Valtiendas
PGI: Protected Geographical Indications Vino de la tierra Andalusia Altiplano de Sierra Nevada Bailén Cádiz Córdoba Cumbres del Guadalfeo Desierto de Almería Laderas del Genil Laujar-Alpujarra Los Palacios Norte de Almería Ribera del Andarax Sierra Norte de Sevilla Sierra Sur de Jaén Sierras de las Estancias y los Filabres Torreperogil Villaviciosa de Córdoba Aragon Bajo Aragón Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas Ribera del Jiloca Ribera del Queiles Valdejalón Valle del Cinca Balearic Islands Formentera Ibiza Illes Balears Isla de Menorca Mallorca Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord Cantabria Costa de Cantabria Liébana Castile and León Castile and León Castile–La Mancha Castilla Extremadura Extremadura Galicia Barbanza e Iria Betanzos Ribeiras do Morrazo Val do Miño-Ourense La Rioja Valles de Sadacia Murcia Abanilla Murcia Campo de Cartagena Navarre Ribera del Queiles 3 Riberas Valencia Castelló Multi-regional wine regions: Cava · Jumilla · Ribera del Queiles · Rioja See also Spanish wine Catalan wine Galician wine Txakoli Malaga

Wines and winemaking

v t e Wine Viticulture Annual growth cycle of grapevines Oenology Species Terroir Veraison Vineyard History Ancient Phoenicians Ancient Greece Ancient Rome China Noah's wine France Great French Wine Blight Georgia New World Judgment of Paris Styles Red White Sparkling Rosé Orange Dessert Fortified Ice Aromatized Fruit Noble rot Straw Other Table Natural Biodynamic Organic Kosher Top grape varieties by acreage White Airén Aligoté Catarratto Cayetana blanca Chardonnay Chenin blanc Colombard Glera Grüner Veltliner Macabeo Müller-Thurgau Muscat blanc Muscat of Alexandria Palomino Riesling Rkatsiteli Sauvignon blanc Sémillon Trebbiano Welschriesling Red Alicante Bouschet Barbera Bobal Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Carignan Cinsaut Douce noir Gamay Grenache Isabella Malbec Merlot Montepulciano Mourvèdre Pinot noir Sangiovese Syrah Tempranillo Zinfandel Major regions Old World New World Packaging, accessories, and storage Alternative wine closure Box wine Corkscrew Decanter Jug wine Kvevri Muselet Port tongs Screw cap Wine bottle Wine cave Wine cellar Wine cork Wine dispenser Wine glass Wine label Wine rack Wine chemistry Aroma of wine Acids in wine Phenolic content in wine Proteins in wine Sugars in wine Industry Classification Oenophilia Sommelier Wine and food pairing Wine fault Wine fraud Winemaker Wine personalities Wine tasting Wine tasting descriptors Wine portal Outline Glossary v t e Winemaking Harvest Late harvest wine Noble rot Vintage Pressing Deacidification Destemming Chaptalization Wine press Maceration Carbonic maceration Fermentation Malolactic fermentation Sparkling wine production Sugars in wine Süssreserve Traditional method Yeast assimilable nitrogen Yeast in winemaking Aging Oak Solera Wine cellar Other steps Clarification and stabilization of wine Related Winery Wine bottle Glossary of viticulture terms Glossary of winemaking terms Wine tasting descriptors History of the wine press History of wine Terroir Wine portal

41°3′N 0°26′E / 41.050°N 0.433°E / 41.050; 0.433

• Catalan wine
• Wine regions of Spain
• Appellations
• Wine classification
• Terra Alta (comarca)