The Priorat vine says, “I have lived a long time on the side of this mountain, season after season, year after year. I have endured scorching heat, scathing winds, scarce or late rains or worse. I have witnessed triumphs and tragedies, struggled and thrived, been loved and forgotten, and still, I am here. I am a journey into the earth in search of nourishment that is mine as much as it is that of human’s. Survival is the will to drink deeply of life.”

No other fruit can express the distinction of its origins more than a wine grape that becomes wine. There are basic responsibilities that growers must attend to in order to ensure that sense of place. They must understand their land, respect it and cultivate it with consideration for sustainability. They must do whatever they can to encourage the vines to have a vivid voice. The better the growers know their vines, the more time spent with them, the more they will reveal. It is like any intimate relationship. Day in, day out, observing, understanding each other’s moods—over time the vines become part of the family, an integral part of life.

Biodynamics, pruning, tilling of the soil, treatments and the disposition of the moon offer viticultural choices made by knowledge and observation. For some, the decisions are a matter of course because that is how it has been for generations. For others who have more ideals than practical experience, there is a lot to learn. Engaged in the work of the vineyard, listening to nature, warmed by the heat of the sun, lost in a metaphysical schism of time—it may be hard work but there is a rhythm to this life, a balance of existence in which everyone and everything has its role and supports the other.

— Adapted from Ethos Priorat, a book by Elizabeth Hecker