Two days in beautiful Priorat in Spain

We spent a week in Barcelona during the fall with two days in Sant Sadurní D’Anoia and two days in Priorat. Priorat is together with Rioja the only two wine regions with the highest qualification DOQ.

Gratallops village

We stayed in the village of Gratallops and it is a 90-minute drive from Barcelona. Completely different landscape with hilly terraces up to 800 meters above sea level combined with black slate soil dating back to the area’s volcanic origin. The region is big but with a population of 9 500 and Falset is the capital. We decided to stay in Gratallops where several of the best-known wineries were located.

Where to stay

We stayed at Trossos del Priorat just outside of Gratallops and can read more about this wonderful hotel here. Built in the middle of the vineyards and it is a short 5-minute walk into the village. They had their own winery in the building that we had the opportunity to visit, see the production facilities and most important try the wine!

Where to eat

The hotel served up a great breakfast both mornings and also had a lovely food basket with local produce that we prepared one of the evenings. There are great restaurants in the area but they are a little scattered throughout Priorat.

We did have one of the best lunches of our lives at Clos Figueras in Gratallops. One of the original Priorat winemakers and Miquel that helped us there was a true pleasure. Three-course lunch with their own wines and learning all about their winemaking. Photos below are all from their place and cellars.

What to do

Besides visit wineries and eating great food, we did drive up to Siurana one day. A small village on top of Prades Mountains and have in recent years also become one of the world’s best climbing destinations. The roads are narrow and can be a bit scary at first. 700 meters above sea level with spectacular views and only have 37 inhabitants. Stopped on the way back from Siurana in Scala Dei and tried some great wines.

Another thing worth doing was to hike up to Ermita de la Mare. Good exercise without being too hard and offers great views over Priorat.