Life Priorat+Montsant

In the last 30 years, the Catalan region of Priorat has become a model of international success in the production of high-quality wines thanks to the careful elaboration of its wines and the exploitation of its wine, natural and cultural heritage.

However, the region’s wine industry, made up of 170 wineries belonging to the DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant denominations, faces different challenges related to sustainability in the growing and the elaboration of wines, as well as conservation of a unique natural environment and reduction of the environmental impact of the quantity and quality of the wine produced. This is all in the context of growing international competition and an increasingly demanding and environmentally responsible market.

Life Priorat+Montsant is a project financed by the European Commission whose main objective is to develop and demonstrate a large-scale model of sustainable wine production in the region of Priorat through the application of a set of methodologies for the efficient use of natural resources throughout its value chain, which is subsequently reproducible in other wine-growing regions of the European Union.

In addition, the following will be possible thanks to this project:

• Demonstration to winegrowers and winemakers of the benefits of implementing sustainable production techniques for resource optimisation.
• Raising awareness amongst consumers about the importance of the wine's carbon footprint.
• Provision of the right tools for winegrowers and winemakers to apply new business models to sustainable wine production.
• Demonstration of the benefits of combining landscape conservation and reducing the impact of wine’s overall carbon footprint in order to promote sustainable tourism.
• Transference of results and lessons learned to other European wine regions.