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BASIC FEATURES
The denomination's grapevines are largely old head-pruned vines, but work has been going on over the last few years to renew the vineyards rationally. New varieties and new clones are being introduced with a view to making quality wines. The region's relief means that the vines are planted in a wide variety of soils and at different altitudes, ranging from 200 to 700 metres (650 to 2,300 feet) above sea level.
Total areas: 1800 Ha (4500 acres)
Red varieties : Both Carinyena (Carignan) and red Garnatxa (Grenache) are to be found throughout the region, giving full-bodied wines which are well-suited to ageing in oak, especially if vine yield is controlled and the wine is fermented carefully. Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo) predominates in the warmer south of the area. The other red varieties adapt well throughout the region and produce quality wines which are balanced, aromatic and full-bodied, providing a distinctive touch in the coupage.
White varieties: these are restricted almost exclusively to the two varieties which are traditional in the area, white Garnatxa and Macabeu. While Macabeu makes finer wines, white Garnatxa, giving greater body and structure, is well-suited to ageing or fermenting in oak casks, despite its natural tendency to oxidation.
GEOLOGY AND RELIEF
Turning now to the relief of the DO Montsant region, in the north lie the Llena hills and the Montsant massif, with the Montsant river running between them. These are two Oligocene rocky masses made up of eroded conglomerates, which in the east join up with the Palaeozoic basement of the Prades mountains and the pre-coastal range, the hills of L'Argentera and the butte-type mountains of Colldejou and Llaberia. The latter are Mesozoic limestone formations which form a semicircle enclosing the area, but opening out towards the river Ebro, around the Palaeozoic core and Carboniferous shales of the centre of the Priorat region. In the west, there are Triassic levels in the hills of La Figuera, and around Falset there are granite outcrops.
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