Terra Alta is a Spanish Denominacion de Origen (Designation of Origin - DO) (Denominació d’Origen in Catalan) for wines located in the west of the province of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) and covers 12 inland municipalities. As the name indicates (Terra Alta = High Land) the area is in the mountains. It is of great natural beauty and features in many of Picasso’s paintings.

Due to its geographical isolation, this area traditionally only made wine for local consumption and has only recently started to produce modern Mediterranean style wines. The Terra Alta wine region consists of 42 vineyards (Bodegas), which produce 12.5 millon liter of wine annually. Several cooperative wineries were designed and built in the 1920s by Cesar Martinell, a student of Antoni Gaudi, and are notable for their modernist architectural style.

Varieties covered by this designation:

White varieties: Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Parellada, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Pedro Ximénez and Macabeo.

Red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cariñena, Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Peluda, Syrah, Merlot, Samsó, Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo.

Small hills and Ebre river form spectacular countryside in this region. The vineyards grow in the plane areas and in the dry valleys. Climate of Terra Alta is Mediterranean with strong continental influence, rains are scarce and sun is rather strong. Average yearly temperature: 14,6 ºCelsius.

“In Terra Alta, each time of the year shows a different colour: the green of the vines, the greys of the mist, the blue of the clear morning sky, and the bursting of a thousand crystals in the still night’s firmament.” -- Joan Pallarès

The L&P Real Estate has an exclusive and unique offer: ground for sale in this highly preserved area (approximately 7,65 ha) with vineyard (2 ha), hazel, almond, olive, and pine trees. There you can enjoy picturesque sights, along the routes enveloped in silence where Nature remains unperturbed.

“The smells of Terra Alta are connected with agricultural tasks: the scent of almond skins and of pressed must, the penetrating odour of olive oil mills, the aniseed perfume of biscuits...” -- Joan Pallarès-Personat


At Terra Alta you are going to feel at home, the area highly preserves a strong sense of hospitality, simplicity and cordiality, and these qualities mark the way that guests are treated. The cooking is authentic at the restaurants because, fortunately enough, they have never found it appropriate to cook in any other way and you can fully enjoy the local cuisine in nearby town Corbera d'Ebre.

author: Aleksandr Kulikov