The Priorat and Montsant wine regions of north eastern Spain share a close history and so we cover them today together. Montsant was originally a part of the Tarragona DO, which was established in 1933 but became a distinct DO in 2001. This section of Tarragona was known as the Falset and it wraps around the southern border of Priorat, sharing much in common with it in terms of general climate and principal grapes. The two denominations produce stellar red wines from Garnacha Tinta and Carignan Tinto or Carinena as it is sometimes called in Spain. The white wines are made from Garnacha Blanca and in the case of Montsant blended with Viura (Macabeo). The difference between the two regions include a warmer climate in the lowland area of Montsant versus the cooler higlands of the Priorato. Soil is similar in granite but with Montsant adding alluvial limestome loam to the mix. The Priorat rises to 2200 feet and Llicorella dominates the landscape in layered composition of quartzite and slate over that granitic bedrock. The soil s thin and stony with sedimentary clay and volcanic ash on a fractured base. Priorat has over 8K acres planted to vine while the Montsant is barely over 5K acres. The name Priorat in Castilian Spanish derives from the Carthusian Monastery of 1194, where it is claimed that a shepherd saw angels ascending and descending from heaven on a ce;estial ladder near an old oak tree. The Priorato dei Scala Dei was constructed near this site and operated until 1835. Today the Monastery functions as a winery thanks to the efforts of a group of visionary winemakers in the 1980's, who reestablished vines and a grape cultivation industry in the region. The Gratallops group, as they were known, included now famous winemakers, Alvaro Palacios, Cares Pastrano, Jose Luis Perez, Dappne Dorian and Rene Barbier. The brands they established are among the greatest wines of Spain: Palacios Remondo, Clos Dofi, Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet, Clos Mogador and Clos de L'Orbac. Priorat was granted DO status in 1954, DOQ in 2000 and DOCa in 2009, becoming only one of two with Rioja in all of Spain. With over 100 wineries, the quality is variable in Priorat but overall that quality level is fairly high. The Montsant offers excellent wines, that does not reach quite the stature of its more prestigious neighbor but the value is there for sure. It is like St. Veran was to Pouilly Fuisse in France and quality is on the rise. Stylistically, both DO's offer a range from softer structured red fruit driven aromatic and youthful wines for early consumption to more robust dark fruited, oaked, earthy, mineral laden versions that require cellaring to knit together and evolve before blossoming into complex and impressive wines of great concentration. To taste the finest, the wines above are a great place to start, if you can afford the, and Palacios's Finca Dofi and Clos Erasmus are two of Spain's greatest red wines. For value there are Cellers Mas Roig, Can Blau, Zerran, Mas Collet in Montsant and Camins del Priorat, La Conreria Black Slate or Prior Scala Dei n Priorat, all offering delicious, reliable and solid examples of the region. As for the white wines, they can be incredibly delicious and complex. One to try is the La Conreria Scala Dei Les Brugueres made from Garnacha Blanca or Mas Doix Murmuri and for Monsant, the Venus Dido La Universal