Tarragona is the most southern wine region of Catalonia and has a changing landscape. The area has a Mediterranean climate with clear influences from the sea. Summers are very dry hot, while winters are cold. The area has many hours of sunshine and the climate is ideal for hearty, rich wines. Tarragona has become famous mainly for the strong sweet wines that are made there.
Dry wines have only recently begun to emerge. In this area are about 7400 hectares of vineyards and Tarragona produces about 400,000 hectoliters of wine annually. Grapes used here for wine production include Chardonnay, Macabeo, Parellada, Merlot, Monastrell, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
Tarragona's designation of origin is one of the most comprehensive in Catalonia: it identifies and protects the wines made in more than seventy municipalities, mainly in the regions of Camp de Tarragona and part of the Ribera d'Ebre. It produces high quality red, white and rosé wines, but is best known for the production of sweet wines and traditional liqueur wines: the famous mistelas and rancio wines (liqueur wines with oxidative aging in the sun), the garnacha sweets or muscatel, and the well-known 'mass wine', exported to several countries.
The soil in the area is predominantly calcareous, lighter in the Camp de Tarragona region and more stony in the Ribera d'Ebre region. The climate is mainly Mediterranean, with cold winters, hot and very clear summers and an average annual rainfall of 400-500 mm. With regard to wines, it should be noted that there are a maximum of 16 permitted grape varieties, 8 red and 8 white. The red wines are firm and aromatic while the rosés are fresh and with a beautiful cherry color. The white wines are soft and delicately aromatic, slightly brighter in the Ribera d'Ebre. The DO Tarragona is an extraordinary appellation to find wines for all audiences at much lower prices than in the neighboring areas.
