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Terra Alta DO
[TEHR-ruh AHL-tah]

A rising DO zone of about 20,000 vineyard acres located around the town of Gandesa west of the TARRAGONA DO in the southwestern portion of Spain’s CATALONIA region. The name means “high land,” and the area is hilly and hot with low grape YIELDS. Traditionally about 75 percent of the wine produced has been white, made from Garnacha Blanc (GRENACHE) and MACABEO; the red and ROSÉ wines are made from Cariñena (CARIGNAN) and Garnacha Tinta (Grenache). But things are beginning to change—small producers have begun modernizing winemaking methods and producing wines of much higher quality, much in the same way as the PRIORAT DOCA and Tarragona DO zones are reinventing themselves. To help boost wine quality, several VARIETIES have been added to the allowable DO grapes—white varieties now include Moscatel (MUSCAT) and PARELLEDA, and reds include CABERNET SAUVIGNON, MERLOT, and TEMPRANILLO. As of this writing, however, local cooperatives produce the majority of the region’s wines, which are generally high in ALCOHOL and of mediocre quality.
Related Links: Catalonia, Tarragona DO
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc.
1995 based on THE WINE LOVER'S COMPANION,
by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst.

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