How heritage Spanish wine region Priorat is breathing new life into old vines

In the 1970s a group of winemakers took an interest in a rugged, forgotten corner of Catalonia: the steeply terraced hills of Priorat. Once tended by Carthusian monks and long considered inhospitable, its slate soils, known as licorella, held the potential to produce powerful, earthy wines. Today, Priorat is one of just two Spanish wine regions with the coveted Denominación de Origen Calificada status, the country’s highest classification.

An hour from Tarragona, it has become a destination for visitors drawn by world-class wines, winding cycling routes and mountain scenery. “Priorat is now in a period of consolidation,” says Guillem Pastrana, whose parents, Carles Pastrana and Mariona Jarque, founded the Clos de l’Obac winery in 1987. “We need to take care of the people from all over the world who come to visit us.”

Hence the creation of the five-star Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno, a farmhouse amid Clos de l’Obac’s vineyards that was transformed by the Pastrana-Jarque family and Mallorca-based hotelier David Stein. “The enclave in which it is located is unique but it was also a big bet,” says its general manager, Jordi Compte, sitting on the terrace of Tarraco, one of the hotel’s two restaurants. “Catalonia has important inland regions, which help to make tourism less seasonal,” he says. “And wine plays an important role in this.”

Many of the hotel’s 24 suites have private terraces that open onto the vineyards. Barcelona-based Astet Studio was in charge of reviving the old masía and drawing on its heritage to design the rest of the resort. Inside, a blown-glass light display in the stairwell evokes a bundle of grapes and the theme continues in the spa (which offers wine therapy), located inside an olive-oil mill discovered during excavations.

From the boutique by the poolside terrace, a white spiral staircase leads to the cellar, which stocks a selection of the region’s wines and hosts tastings and masterclasses. With 116 wineries at its doorstep, Mas d’en Bruno is perfect for exploring Priorat’s robust, mineral reds.

The best place to start is the hotel’s restaurant, Vinum, in the hands of its chief sommelier, Madrid-born Susana Gámez Segovia. Its head chef, Josep Queralt, is from the area, and his cooking is best experienced as a tasting menu. “We have the responsibility to love this land,” says Queralt. “We want every diner to leave feeling imbued with the essence of Priorat, its produce and its customs.”
masdenbruno.com; obac.es