Organic wines born from the love of a land and a commitment to care for it

Herència Altés is a family-owned winery in Terra Alta devoted to vine-growing and the production of fresh and elegant wines.

We are firmly committed to organic agriculture and sustainable winemaking and show the utmost respect for the environment and a rich biodiversity which strengthens and protects these lands and their local surroundings. Taking care of natural and historical heritage by conserving old vines, landscapes, and traditional dry-stone walls means we can continue to produce wines in such a way that future generations will also be able to enjoy these lands and their fruits.

We work with local grapes, especially Garnatxa varieties. Our flagship grape and the symbol of our lands is Garnatxa Blanca. We aim to create wines in as natural and respectful a way as possible while striving for honesty and varietal elegance in the finished result.

Taste our wines and feel yourself swept away to a special place, Terra Alta: experience the character of the land, our terroir, and a way of life, Herència Altés.

The local varieties from the region represent the legacy of generations of winemakers, the identity of these agricultural landscapes and the true character of our wines.

We firmly believe in using local varieties, especially Garnatxa vines, to create the freshness and elegance of our wines as protecting and maintaining this vine-growing heritage forms part of our values and commitment to the land. We aim for our wines to maintain and express the essence of the fruit and the soils they are born from and the character of the Terra Alta region.

GARNATXA BLANCA:

The star variety in Terra Alta, Garnatxa Blanca has been grown here ever since the seventeenth century when the Church decided to plant it to replace old Malvasia vines. A drought-resistant variety, it adapts really well to warm climates. Its extremely versatile fruit can be used in different ways to produce dry, sweet or rancio wines. The most widely-planted grape variety in the area, Garnatxa Blanca is our local treasure!

GARNATXA:

Garnatxa (or Garnatxa Negra or Grenache Noir) is one of the most commonly-cultivated grape varieties in the Iberian Peninsula. Originally from Aragon, it is a vigorous and austere vine. A pleasant variety with sweet tannins, it is widely used and loved around the world. Present in Terra Alta for many hundreds of years, Garnatxa is an undemanding, elegant and fun grape variety.

GARNATXA PELUDA ("hairy"):

Hairy Garnatxa came about as a mutation of Garnatxa which adapts better to the Mediterranean climate. The hairy underside to its leaves moderates transpiration in hot weather, protecting the plant from dry periods and high temperatures. It evolved in different areas in Catalonia, including Terra Alta, and adapts perfectly to dry and poor soils. Grapes are large and thick-skinned. An exotic, fresh and elegant variety!

CARIGNAN:

Known locally as Carinyena, it is one of the oldest varieties grown in Terra Alta. A rustic and wild vine which has been tamed over the centuries. Grapes are medium-sized and high in tannins meaning its wines have plentiful acidity and are ideal for ageing. A wonderfully long life awaits a Carignan wine.

SYRAH:

Syrah is a grape well-loved around the world. Although it was not originally from here, it has adapted perfectly to the area. We plant it at altitudes to seek out its freshness and acidity. The vines produce small to medium-sized grapes with thick skins. Concentrated fruit with plentiful but smooth tannins, it is an ideal variety for long ageing processes!

We work our vineyards manually using organic agricultural methods and pay the utmost respect to the environment and the natural and cultural heritage these lands make up. We believe winegrowing forms part of the local ecosystem and finding a balance between agriculture and the surrounding environment guarantees the good health of our vineyards and wards off the threats the landscape faces. All our work is focused on respecting and maintaining this balance.

We began the move to organic production methods back in 2015 and nowadays all our vineyards proudly bear the official organic agriculture certificate. We also use alternativeagroecology techniques to care for the health of our plants and help generate life in the soils and surrounding lands.

With its low rainfall and poor soils, the Terra Alta landscape is an ally we must take care of for our vines to grow well. Our work respects the structure of the land and we make rational decisions about our vine-growing adapted to the specific features of the local climate. Depending on the wind strength and direction or the humidity found at each plot, we choose the best agricultural methods with the aim of conserving and improving the richness of each soil type.

We strive to maintain and continue the legacy our old vines have gifted us with, consolidating the rich values of the soil where tough roots dig deep to find nourishment and live for many years. With this in mind, we mainly cultivate dry-farmed goblet-trained vines which adapt better to the dry conditions of the region and form stronger roots.

Our winemaking represents all this – and much more. Through the special environmental project we have also developed, we help to protect the local landscape, a mosaic of small agricultural plots and woodland areas criss-crossed by dry-stone walls, and to restore its biodiversity, the plants and wildlife which are often under threat from unsustainable practices or invasive species.

We have a philosophy of minimal intervention in the winery, meaning we aim to have the least possible external influence on the production process so as to achieve the freshness and elegance that characterize our wines.

We ferment the grapes with a series of micro-vinifications in small tanks, maintaining the grapes from different plots separate. The musts begin their fermentation naturally and spontaneously with local yeasts from the vineyards.

We only use free-run must when making white and rosé wines, whereas with red wines we add whole bunches of grapes to add freshness, texture and fruit to the wine. Fermentation and ageing are usually carried out in concrete tanks to achieve complexity from micro-oxygenation and keep external aromas to a minimum. In cases where we use wood, we prefer large (500 and 600 litre) barrels or 2,500 and 5,000 litre foudres for long ageing processes with little influence from the oak. The overall objective is to create fresh, serene and elegant wines brimming with character.

Our objective here at Herència Altés is to integrate the whole growth cycle of our vines and our wine production within local ecosystems and to generate as little impact as possible on the environment.