Carthusian monks are famous for introducing two things to the spiked landscapes of southern Catalonia, about 90 minutes southwest of Barcelona. When they arrived in the area from France in the 12th century they promptly built their first Spanish monastery in the shadow of the mountains, calling it Scala Dei (stairway to God). And they also planted the first vines in these slate soils to make wine.
The monastery still stands today, a series of ever more extravagant ruins in the area’s rose-hued stone that serve to map its growing importance across the centuries. The wine from the precipitously terraced vineyards is considered some of the finest in the world.
The chances are that you might not be familiar with priorat, despite it having been awarded Spain’s highest-protected designation of origin alongside rioja, favoured by Brits. Look at the Priorat region on a map and you begin to understand why. Increasingly dense contour lines and absurdly scribbled roads can make the region seem impenetrable. For many years only the boldest wine aficionados made the journey.
The pool has views over the vineyard and mountains
MICHELLE CHAPLOW
A new hotel is changing that. With just 24 suites and the golden gleam of the Relais & Châteaux crest, Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno is tucked into the mountainous folds and surrounded by the vines of one of the area’s most prestigious vineyards, Clos de l’Obac, with tours from £58 per person.
It was a seven-year labour of love by David Stein, whose Stein Group redefined Mallorca’s luxury hotel offering with Gran Hotel Son Net, which opened in 1998, then did the same thing in Andalusia with Finca Cortesin in 2009.
A handsome 18th-century masia (farmhouse) in terracotta and russet has been thoughtfully restored with a few modern additions. An old sundial is carefully preserved on the façade. The honeyed stone of an old wine press has become the centrepiece of the spa and the diamond design of the original ceiling tiles is captured as the hotel’s logo.
When I check in early on a Friday morning I am joined by a smattering of Barcelona’s most fashionable set. Mas d’en Bruno has become the rural escape del momento of the Catalan capital’s great and good. The rugged scenery is ideal for mountain biking, hiking trails snake through the scenery and storybook villages mushroom on rocky outcrops. Then there is the wine, with vineyards ranging from the merely award-winning to the ultra-exclusive situated on the hotel’s doorstep.
Some visitors prefer not to leave the serenity of the estate at all. They spend their days soaking in the infinity pool with its vineyard views, relaxing in the spa and dining at the sister restaurants Tarraco, with its sun-trap terrace and Mediterranean dishes, and the elegant Vinum, with its tasting menus and sensational wine list.
All the suites have creamy interiors
MICHELLE CHAPLOW
All the suites at Mas d’en Bruno are expansive, with creamy stone and taupe textiles, cosy wood accents and contemporary double-sided fireplaces. There are freestanding baths set among the burgundy marble of the vast bathrooms and toiletries from the French perfume brand Eight & Bob, as well as a maxi bar tempting you to open one of the full-sized bottles of Priorat wines (inky-hued and rich in flavours of sun-baked black fruits and liquorice), whiskies and vodkas.
From my balcony in the main Masia building I look across the Mediterranean gardens to see that the estate is entirely enveloped in velvety hills, delivering that sense of isolation so associated with Priorat. In the second new building, known as Atelier, you can reach out from the patio of your garden suite and pick cariñena grapes from the vine.
It doesn’t take me long to slow down to Priorat pace. Àngel Pérez Sala, the spa manager, pampers me with a facial using products from Barcelona’s sustainable beauty brand Foosh, which includes grapes among its natural ingredients.
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After a light lunch of truffle and mushroom croquetas, Catalan cheeses and Tarragona red prawn carpaccio at Bruno’s Bar — all flagstone floors, shimmering mirrors and dazzling drinks collection — I could easily while away the afternoon soaking up the views from the library. However, one of Mas d’en Bruno’s greatest charms is its connection with the intimate winemaking community of Priorat. It feels a bit like staying with a well-connected country friend, one who can secure an elusive restaurant reservation or introduce you to the latest star winemaker.
They may recommend a hearty lunch of Priorat pâtés, spiced pork sausage or roast lamb at Les Figueres, the restaurant from the vineyard Clos Figueras, in the hilltop village of Gratallops (mains from £13; closfigueras.info), or organise dinner at the contemporary Brichs, in the town of Falset, with its glass and steel decor and stylish dishes, such as crawfish ravioli with foie sauce and suckling pig in a priorat wine sauce, celebrating local ingredients (mains from £21; brichsrestaurant.com).
Experiences range from picnics among the vines and guided olive oil tastings at local farms to helicopter tours, stargazing and morning yoga sessions. Or you can simply take the ebikes out to explore the undulating landscape at your own pace.
Some visitors prefer not to leave the serenity of the estate at all
MICHELLE CHAPLOW
Standing by, with a Mini Cooper emblazoned with the Mas d’en Bruno logo ready to take guests out, Francesc Baudilia Guerrerois is simply referred to as the hotel’s ambassador, thanks to his impeccable connections in Priorat. As part of the hotel’s offering of more personalised experiences, he has secured me appointments at some of the hotel’s most prestigious neighbours.
Driving along snaking roads, we call in at one of Catalonia’s most beautiful villages — medieval Siurana is perched atop a limestone cliff, with cobbled streets and views across to endless layers of blue-coloured mountains — and the Scala Dei monastery, where it all began.
At the Perinet winery, where wines can cost up to £208 a bottle, it is the star winemaker Antoni Sánchez-Ortiz who gives me a tour, whisking me up to the vineyard’s highest point to appreciate the steep slopes stitched with vines then plunging me down to the impressive wine cellar.
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With all the enthusiasm of a mad scientist experimenting with magical elixirs, he serves me wines straight from the vast tanks and oak barrels so I might better understand how the region’s two signature grapes — garnacha and cariñena (aka grenache and carignan) — develop at different stages of ageing. It is no surprise when I learn that he also lectures on winemaking at the local university (tour and barrel tastings from £62; perinetwinery.com).
On the other side of the hotel is Clos de l’Obac, a vineyard spoken about in reverential tones. Carles Pastrana, the owner, is one of the so-called cinco magníficos — five magnificent ones — who led Priorat’s wine renaissance in the 1980s (obac.es).
The region had never really recovered from the phylloxera pest, which decimated vineyards across Europe in the late 19th century. Many locals left for jobs in nearby Barcelona and only a quiet farming community remained, until five enterprising friends who wanted to make wine found that they couldn’t afford the prices in the more established Penedes wine region further north. They bought land in Priorat and shared their harvest to each make their own wine, and their first vintages received almost unanimous praise, shooting them to prominence in the wine world.
Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno is worthy of the area’s world-beating wines
MICHELLE CHAPLOW
Carles tells me the story as he leads me to the library-like wine cellar, shows me through a secret door to a hidden tasting room and generously pours out decades-old wines for a tasting through the ages. His winery may be a star in Priorat but you will find welcoming vineyards clinging to hillsides across the region. There is even a “wine route” mapping out the places to visit (turismepriorat.org/en).
Where you find great wine, you will always find exceptional food. On one night Francesc secures me a dinner at Priorat’s first Michelin-star restaurant, Quatre Molins — he has an in with the chef because he used to work there. During a relaxed evening Rafel Muria, the chef, dazzles with intricate dishes such as honeycomb, pancetta and winter savoury sorbet, and mushroom ravioli with lobster and sage, alongside a touch of tableside showmanship — all while honouring local ingredients and his family’s beekeeping heritage (you will find his family honey, Art Muria, at Harrods), paired with exceptional wines (six-coursetasting menus from £33; quatremolins.com).
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And he’s not the only chef bringing culinary flair to this nascent wine region. At Mas d’en Bruno’s Vinum restaurant I dine on red tuna, wild boar and herbs from the Montsant mountains as part of a tasting menu by the chef Josep Queralt, who has become the darling of the Spanish press for celebrating the riches of the region (mains from £25; three-course tasting menu from £87; restaurantvinum.com).
It seems that 900 years after the Carthusian monks brought wine to Priorat and 30 years on from the cinco magníficos, Priorat may finally have a hotel worthy of its world-beating wines.
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Sarah Gordon was a guest of Mas d’en Bruno, which has B&B junior suites from £360 (masdenbruno.com). Fly to Barcelona or Reus
Three more Spanish wine holidays
By Ellen Himmelfarb
Catalonia cycling and wine tour
The medieval village of Besalu in Girona
ALAMY
A guilt-free gastro tour of Spain’s fertile northeast is best enjoyed during one of the region’s umpteen autumn harvest festivals — though this tour pedals between vineyards, olive oil farms, tapas bars and Michelin-star restaurants at all times of the year (bike hire is extra). Between unforgettable tastings, you’ll explore the medieval town of Besalu in the Alta Garrotxa, a clifftop monastery, ancient villages and a volcanic national park. After the more strenuous climbs, you’ll picnic in the sunshine with fresh, farm-sourced produce and local honey, with the organic wine you tasted earlier. Your base is a countryside boutique hotel with a swimming pool near Girona.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £945pp, including a guide (responsibletravel.com). Fly to Barcelona or Girona
Andalusian wine experience
Vejer de la Frontera is a small town near Cadiz
ALAMY
Bookending this tour of the sunny south are guided tours of Seville and Jerez, two cities an hour apart with Moorish fortresses and elaborate Catholic cathedrals — not to mention tremendous tapas and live flamenco in the streets (you’ll stay in luxury hotels in both cities). But chauffeured tasting sessions are its raison d’être. The most prestigious bodegas and historic sherry vineyards welcome you for fortified wine, cheese and private tours of the grounds. Sleep off your buzz on white-sand Bolonia beach, just south of the white-stucco hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera.
Details Four nights’ half-board from £3,780pp, including transfers, private guided tours, wine tasting, half-day cycle hire and some extra meals (smoothred.com). Fly to Seville
Essential Rioja
Spain’s tiny Rioja province punches above its weight
GETTY IMAGES
Covered in Mediterranean forest, punctuated by fortified hilltop towns, Spain’s tiny Rioja province punches above its weight with its universally coveted red wines. Following a local oenophile from Grape Escapes, you’ll soak up the history and slow rural vibe of the area, tour two wine estates and taste premium rioja wines straight from the barrel — the tour promises more than a dozen wines in all, plus an optional third-night upgrade. You’ll stay at the four-star Hotel Viura, an avant-garde vineyard-hotel named after a common regional grape.
Details Two nights’ B&B from £621pp, including guided transport and one extra meal (grapeescapes.net). Fly to Bilbao
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