Josep Grau Viticultor

Driven by a growing passion for wine, Josep Grau decided one fine day to leave behind the city of Barcelona to start a new chapter in his life. He settled in the village of Marçà, Tarragona, and cut his teeth working at several wineries in the region. An entrepreneur by nature, it did not take long before he started his first personal project in DO Montsant, Celler Dosterras, a company he sold some years later. In 2013, Mr. Grau was able to buy 36 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Marçà, Capçanes and Falset. Divided into 15 plots with very diverse soils, the vines, old and young, are farmed since day one following the guidelines of organic farming.

In 2016, Mr. Josep Grau bought and restored a small house in Gratallops. Built over 200 years ago and equipped with a small cellar, the refurbished house is currently the headquarter of Josep Grau Viticultor in DOQ Priorat. To convey in a faithful and transparent manner the outstanding terroir of the region, Mr. Grau focused on producing single vineyard varietal wines from the outset. Judging from the results, his decision proved to be an excellent one. Nowadays, the Priorat wines made by Josep Grau are among the most elegant and sophisticated in the area.  

Both in Montsant and in Priorat, the wines from Josep Grau Viticultor are made essentially from the traditional varieties of both regions; namely, Grenache and Carignan for the red wines, and White Grenache for the white wines. Some of them include a small amount of international varieties, such as Syrah.

As regards winemaking, Mr. Josep Grau always ferments the grapes with indigenous yeasts in order to preserve the specific character of each grape variety and each specific plot. Following his “terroir-first” philosophy, he very seldom uses small oak barrels to age the wines, because he thinks that they often suffocate the fruit and impart too much flavour to the wine. Instead, his wines are usually aged in Austrian oak containers, among which he has a preference for Stockinger barrels.

Produced in small quantities and providing a consistent level of quality year after year, the wines from Josep Grau Viticultor currently enjoy both national and international prestige. It is worth mentioning that some of them have received high ratings from influential wine critics.

• Year of foundation: 2013
• Address: Polígono 7, parcela 27
• City: Marçà
  
• Province: Tarragona
• Zip Code: 43775
  
• Country: Spain
• Phone number: 34 678 730 596
  
• www.josepgrauviticultor.com
• Guided visits? Yes
• Wine tourism services?  Yes

Designation of origin:

DO Montsant, DOQ Priorat

Red wine varieties:

Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

White wine varieties:

White Grenache, Chardonnay, Macabeo.