Conca de Barbera is a small inland DO north of Priorat, centred on Montblanc in the Francoli river valley. The region is the home of Trepat, a native Catalan grape found nowhere else in the world, used for light rosé and sparkling wines. The medieval town of Montblanc has complete 14th-century walls and the area also overlaps historically with the source of Cava base wines.
Pours: Trepat rosé and sparkling, Conca de Barbera white Macabeu
Tip: Trepat is a grape found only in Conca de Barbera. The DO's official website at doconcadebarbera.com lists the producers and includes a guide to visiting.
Sitges, the coastal town on the Garraf coast south of Barcelona, is the home of Malvasia de Sitges, a rare sweet wine made from sun-dried Malvasia Grossa grapes grown in small quantities on the town's hillsides.
Pours: Malvasia de Sitges sweet white, Penedes coastal whites
Tip: Malvasia de Sitges is produced in extremely small quantities and available at the Museu del Cau Ferrat shop in Sitges. The combination of the Garraf coast seafood and this rare sweet wine makes a memorable half-day pairing.
Terra Alta is the southernmost Catalan DO, sharing the Ebro valley's continental climate and high-altitude plateau of the Terra Alta mountains.
Pours: Terra Alta Garnacha Blanca white, Terra Alta old-vine Garnacha red
Tip: Terra Alta Garnacha Blanca is the region's signature white style. Producers are accessible from Falset via the TP-7215 road through Bot and Gandesa.
The Ebro Delta is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a notable wetland ecosystem in the western Mediterranean, lying about 75 kilometres south of Falset.
Pours: local Ebre Delta rosé with seafood, Terra Alta wines at delta restaurants
Tip: The Ebro Delta's rice-based cuisine, including arros de pato (duck rice) and rice with oysters, pairs naturally with young Garnacha-based Priorat whites and rosés. Most delta restaurants maintain a Catalan wine list.
DO Montsant completely surrounds DOQ Priorat, sharing the same licorella soils and Garnacha-Carinena varieties but at generally lower price points.
Pours: Montsant Garnacha-Carinena blend, Montsant white Garnacha Blanca
Tip: Montsant wines from the Falset edge are often barely distinguishable from entry-level Priorat in style but at 30 to 50 percent lower prices. The Falset-Marca cooperative is the easiest first stop.
The Roman city of Tarraco, now Tarragona, is 50 kilometres southeast of Falset on the coast. The amphitheatre, circus, and Roman walls form a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provide context for the ancient viticulture of the Tarraconensis province. The city's restaurants serve Catalan seafood paired with local wines, and the coastal setting offers a contrast to the inland mountain landscape of Priorat.
Pours: DO Tarragona white wines, Garnatxa fortified from coastal cooperatives
Tip: Tarragona's Museu Nacional Arqueologic contains amphorae and Roman viticultural artefacts that connect to the ancient wine history of the Priorat hinterland.