Wine producers in Tarragona are celebrating the creation of a new DO.
DO (Denominacion de origen) Montsant in north-eastern Spain has been ratified by the authorities in Madrid to replace the more cumbersome name of DO Tarragona subzona Falset. But the trail of red tape to its creation is far from straight.
'It was going to be called DO Tarragona Falset,' says Josep Serra, winemaker for Agricola Falset-Marça, based in the town of Falset, 'but people thought that would be too small. If they were outside Falset, they would not be included.'
Thirteen villages fall within the new demarcation, ten of which grow grapes. The governing body, the Consejo Regulador, will be made up of representatives from each village.
'My favourite name was Siurana, after the river that runs through the area,' says Jürgen Wagner, winemaker at Celler de Capçanes, 'but there is a DO Siurana for olive oil and they threatened to take us to court if we used it.'
So the name Montsant was chosen, named after the mountain at the centre of the region which, in fact, lies in DO Priorato, in turn surrounded by the new DO. 'Technically, I suppose Priorato should be called Montsant and Montsant should be Priorato,' says René Barbier, one of the founding fathers of Priorato with Clos Mogador, who now also makes wine in Montsant.
The new DO has yet to be approved by Brussels, but winemakers are already labelling their 2000 Montsant, proud of the recognition, yet wary of the expectations. 'Here in this zone, if we choose our own way then it could be great,' says Josep Anguera, who, with his brother Joan, runs the family winery Cellers Joan D'Anguera. 'But if people compare it to Priorato, then we will end up second division Priorato.'
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