Variety of soils a key element in achieving Priorat's extensive gamma in wine production

Torroja del Priorat (CNA).- The varieties of soils in the county of Priorat -slate, sandstone and conglomerates- are a key element in achieving extensive gamma in the wines of the territory. The Head of the Production Service of the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Jaume Boixadera, explained this Tuesday that thanks to this extensive variety of soil within the same designation of origin, it is possible to produce “very different products of a high quality”. Boixadera mentioned that everything from the quantity of water, to the quantity of small stones in the vineyard, to the soil’s temperature can directly affect both the physical and chemical properties of the wine.

Sal·lustià Àlvarez of the Priorat Designation of Origin Regulation Council explained that thanks to a study on vineyard soils, farmers will better know which types of wines they can produce on their land. He also said that the Council has the objective of indentifying the wines and the territories where they were produced in order to supply this information to the consumer. Sal·lustià Àlvarez of the Priorat Designation of Origin Regulation Council explained that thanks to a study on vineyard soils, farmers will better know which types of wines they can produce on their land. He also said that the Council has the objective of indentifying the wines and the territories where they were produced in order to supply this information to the consumer.

According to Àlvarez, the results of this study will also serve to help plan a “road map” for those who want to expand their vineyards as well as those who want to get into the wine business.

The general director of the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Rosa Cubel, insisted on the importance of this study, stating that it is already “a key element in knowing how to cultivate, and at the same time, developing newer and better agricultural policies”.

Sources from the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture have said that the study cost 30,000 euros.

As a result of the study, wines from the Priorat region can now be characterised by their soil varieties. The Designation of Origin Regulation Council has already classified 23 types of white wine in Priorat.