Terra Alta

Denominació d’Origen Terra Alta
The production and elaboration area of the DO Terra Alta (DOTA) is located in the south of Catalonia, between the river Ebro and the border with Aragonese lands and includes the 12 municipalities of the region of Terra Alta.
Its landscape retains all the characteristic features of an inland terroir close to the Mediterranean Sea: pre-coastal calcareous mountain ranges (Ports d’Horta, Serres de Pàndols and Cavalls), small rivers (the Algars and the Canaletes), mountains of conglomerate rock, oak and white pine forests and above all, agricultural soils dyed of the typical Mediterranean crops: almond, vine and olive.
Within this framework, it is necessary to add three clearly differentiated landscape units of agricultural interest: La Plana, l’Altiplà and Les Valls.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Cultivated soils generally have medium textures. They have as a common denominator their richness in limestone and are poor in organic matter.
The DOTA soil catalog classifies up to 17 profiles, among which the Honeycomb stands out.
Another feature that claims the inland Mediterranean character is the climate. Abundant sunshine and little rainfall.
Two particularities stand out: a singular balance between the two dominant winds, the Cerç (NO) and the garbinades (marinades of the South component) and a cold winter that denotes a certain continentality.
THE VINEYARDS
The vineyard is present throughout the landscape units of La Plana, Altiplà and Les Valls and is especially concentrated in the central third of the production area, between 350 and 550 meters above sea level.

The terrace is the most common unit of cultivation and is a consequence of the interaction of the crop with the varied orography of the land, arranging it on different slopes and orientations, often between dry stone walls -the margins- or ridges with vegetation. , both helping to prevent cropland losses from erosion.

The most traditional terrace locations are the plains and the slopes, differentiated by slopes less than or greater than 10%, respectively. The rest of the vineyards are located on terraced terraces, terraces, and valley bottoms, practically without a slope and therefore with greater water use.

The predominance of traditional grape varieties is the other distinguishing feature of the DO Terra Alta. White Grenache, Red Grenache and Fluffy Grenache are the predominant grape varieties. Together with the Macabeo, the Parellada and the Samsó they sum three quarters of the cultivated surface.

As a result of these interactions with the terroir and the viticultural culture, the practice of viticulture in the Terra Alta is friendly to the environment. The harvest is characterized by an optimal phytosanitary status, a ripe grape and a great oenological value for the elaboration of the wines.