Priorat is a region of great contrasts. The charming town of Torroja del Priorat has been the destination chosen by two American businessmen to set up accommodation in historic buildings, the Ora Hotel, in an old 18th century rectory, and Mas d’en Bruno, in a farmhouse surrounded by vineyards near Escaladei. Two establishments aimed at a public with high purchasing power in a town with nine wineries covered by the DOC Priorat, barely 140 inhabitants and no stores, as noted by the mayor, Joan Sentís.
El Priorat began its renaissance and wine revolution more than three decades ago and currently has 168 wineries, 112 in the DOC Priorat and 56 in the DO Montsant. Parallel to the rise of its wines, the sector has gradually promoted wine tourism. The arrival of visitors from all over the world eager to get to know the territory that has given birth to cult red wines has highlighted the need to increase the hotel offer, to complement rural houses with luxury proposals. In 20 years it has gone from just three to 16 hotels with a total of around 350 beds, to which must be added three hostels with 80 beds and 37 rural tourism houses, with 316, according to data provided by the Regional Tourism Office.
Dakshinamurti Raja, co-founder of the technology company Computer Enterprises Inc, in Pennsylvania, and also with investments in the coffee sector in Central America, South America and Africa, fell in love with Priorat on a trip in 2015, as pointed out by his adviser in the region, Xavier Peñas. The landscape, the history and the attractiveness of localities that preserve their authenticity, far from the adulterated appearances of cardboard destinations, captivated him and he began to acquire farms and real estate in Torroja, Escaladei and Porrera. The first project that has seen the light of day is his Ora Hotel, which began operating at the end of 2022 under the umbrella of the Design label of the Marriott chain, and which Raja plans to expand after buying more houses on the same street. The businessman of Indian origin is also working on the conversion of Casa Rius, which dates from 1865, in the center of Escaladei, into another hotel. The grapes that their land produces at the moment are sold to local producers.
The New Yorker David Stein, in charge of The Stein Group, with headquarters in Mallorca, is the architect of the transformation of an old farmhouse, between Torroja del Priorat and Escaladei, into a Relais
“El Priorat is a semi-unknown oenological destination, but totally to be discovered in terms of landscape and for outdoor activities”, considers Stein while stating that Mas d’en Bruno intends to respond to the demand for “an offer of accommodation and gastronomy of level”.
One of the highlights of Ora and Mas d’en Bruno, like other establishments created in recent years, is linking their offer to tastings and wine tourism routes.
“El Priorat started practically from scratch, when groups came they had to stay on the coast, they couldn’t find anything here. Now we begin to have the infrastructures that other wine enclaves already have consolidated. And that means both rural tourism houses and luxury hotels, an offer that must be at the same level as the wines. We have now started this process, we still have a long way to go in the hope that it will be done in a more respectful way than in other areas, we do not want showcase towns, the beauty of Priorat is that it preserves that wildness and authenticity”, highlights the historian Anna Figueras, co-owner of an accommodation in Torroja.
These two new openings have been, in general, well received in a region that cannot stop its demographic stagnation. Producing highly prestigious wines that are uncorked in the best restaurants in Chicago, London or Copenhagen, has not been enough to retain and attract inhabitants. The latest data published by Idescat point to a total of 9,238 registered residents in 2022, compared to 10,145 in 2010 or 9,319 in 2002, in the 23 municipalities of the region.
Sal.lustià Álvarez, president of the DOC Priorat, points out that of the 112 wineries integrated in said denomination, some 13 are in the hands of foreign capital, among them Perinet, the firm that in 2014 a company made up of investors of different nationalities bought from the singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat and his partners. If in Priorat as a whole national tourists, and specifically those from the Barcelona area, are number one, 70% of the public that visits the vineyards and the Mas Perinet winery, one of the firms that promotes wine tourism, is a foreigner, according to its director, Sheri Perricone. In fact, the bulk of its production, between 70% and 80%, is destined for export.
Perricone assumes that growth must be measured in a destination as small as Priorat, but considers that there is room for more hotels and, above all, for more restaurants that operate all week and do not close at night. A widely shared opinion.
“The new projects reflect the prestige of Priorat, entering the imagination of the people is very complicated. More and more citizens are interested in the world of wine and want to get to know the different areas”, says Jaume Salvat, professor in the URV Department of Geography and Eurecat Culture and Tourism consultant. But alert that tourist interest generates, here and in many other places, imbalances that the administration should correct. The great challenges are to solve the resounding housing deficit, recover empty houses and better manage the proliferation of apartments for tourist use, which exceed the figure of 200, according to the Regional Tourist Office.
“Access to housing is complicated, one of the reasons why people do not settle in these towns. The generational relief must come from outside. Priorat generates opportunities, it is estimated that every day some 2,000 people enter the region to work but do not live here”, adds Salvat. Retaining staff and extending the stay of the tourist that is now coming for one or two days are some of the challenges. For that, it is necessary to create more cultural and gastronomic offer. As Salvat cites, a stimulating example is the Terrer festival, which combines music, landscape and wine in unique settings. This year, the Terrer opens coinciding with the Fira del Vi de Falset, the long last weekend of April. The menu planned for May 1 includes performances by Amaia Miranda and Arnau Obiols, preceded by a tasting led by the winemakers Sara Pérez and Esther Nin and the sommelier Clara Antúnez, in Porrera.
After decades of neglect and very few expectations for the future, at the end of the 80s of the last century, the courage of a group of visionary viticulturists did the miracle and encouraged the rebirth of these slate lands framed in a landscape of great beauty. The foundations are consolidated but the floors need to be raised to guarantee the settlement of new neighbors.
