Barcelona to Priorat: Garnacha, Terraces & Big Reds

Before you head into the mountains, spend a night in Barcelona. The city has fully embraced the natural and minimal-intervention wine movement, and the wine bars here are fantastic for solo dining — knowledgeable, unpretentious, and built around the bar, which makes drinking alone feel like the most natural thing in the world.

Where to Eat & Drink Well

1. L'Ànima del Vi

   Carrer dels Vigatans 8, El Born

   Opened in 2013, this is one of the most charming, authentic natural wine bars in Barcelona. It is unpretentious, deeply knowledgeable, and serves excellent small plates. Sit at the bar and let the owners pour you something unusual from Catalonia.

   Nicole's Tip: Tell them you're heading to Priorat the next day — they'll happily pour you a Catalan natural wine to set the tone for the trip.

2. Bar Salvatge

   Carrer de Verdi 50, Gràcia

   Located in the trendy Gràcia neighbourhood, Bar Salvatge is everything you want in a modern wine bar. They serve natural wine on tap and by the bottle, paired with local, seasonal food. It is lively, welcoming, and perfect for a solo evening.

Driving into Priorat is breathtaking. The roads wind tightly up into the Montsant mountain range, revealing amphitheatre-like valleys of terraced vines. The estates here are small, the winemakers serious, and the wines profound — this is where four decades of revival have turned forgotten slate hillsides into some of the most revered reds on earth.

What to Do

1. Cartoixa de Scala Dei

   After a tasting at Cellers de Scala Dei, walk through the ruins of the 12th-century Carthusian monastery that gave Priorat its name. Standing among the ancient stone arches, looking up at the Montsant mountains, puts the entire history of the region into perspective — this is where vines were first cultivated here.

Where to Eat & Drink Well

1. Alvaro Palacios

   Gratallops

   Alvaro Palacios is one of the original pioneers who put Priorat on the global map in the 1980s. His flagship wine, L'Ermita, is one of the most expensive and revered wines in Spain. Visiting the winery in Gratallops offers a profound insight into the modern history of the region.

   Nicole's Tip: Visits are highly exclusive and must be arranged well in advance — treat this as the centrepiece of your trip rather than a casual drop-in.

2. Clos Mogador

   Gratallops

   Founded by René Barbier, another of the region's founding fathers. The Barbier family was instrumental in introducing French winemaking techniques to these ancient Spanish vines. The tasting experience here is deeply connected to the family's history and their passion for the llicorella terroir.

3. Celler Mas Doix

   Poboleda

   Located in the slightly cooler village of Poboleda, Mas Doix is renowned for its elegance. The family has been growing grapes here since 1850. The winery tour takes you right into the steep vineyards to see the 100-year-old Garnacha and Cariñena vines up close, followed by a brilliant tasting.

   Nicole's Tip: Ask to walk out to the old vines — the centenarian Garnacha and Cariñena parcels are the soul of the estate and the best way to understand llicorella.

4. Cellers de Scala Dei

   Escaladei

   This is the birthplace of Priorat wine. Carthusian monks founded a monastery here in the 12th century and began cultivating vines. Today, it is the oldest operating winery in the region. You can visit the ruins of the ancient monastery and then head to the cellars for a tasting of their exceptional, terroir-driven Garnacha.