Álvaro Palacios

Álvaro is one of the group of five famed 'pioneers' who arrived in Priorat in 1989 primed to recover and reinvent the remnant old local Garnacha of the region. In the intervening years, an enormous transformation has been wrought - not just in the fortunes of Priorat wine, but in the strength and confidence of a community and its economy. Originally, Álvaro worked with introduced French varieties, but in the second decade of his work in Priorat, Álvaro came to consider the French varieties a historical mistake, and commenced re-engineering his plantings to eradicate the strangers, in favour of indigenous Garnacha. In Álvaro's words, "the music, the poetry, finesse and vibrancy is in the Garnacha".