Terra Alta – Catalonia's best-value wines

The rolling, vine-covered hills of Terra Alta in Catalonia

Exceptional white wines at exceptional prices from a place filled with history. Above, Garnacha Blanca vines share space with other crops on Terra Alta's slopes.

One of the oldest wine presses that has ever been documented in Catalonia is in Coll del Moro, in what is now Terra Alta, a wine region in the province of Tarragona. It dates back to the 3rd century BCE, when the locals were various pre-Roman peoples who were familiar with winemaking techniques thanks to the influence of the Greeks and Phoenicians.

Unfortunately, Coll del Moro is not open to visitors, but I was fortunate...