Marco Abella Winery
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The Marco Abella winery is dedicated to the last ancestor who was born in the Priorat in the 19th century. The Marco family, who had lived in Porrera since the 15th century, emigrated to Barcelona at the end of the 19th century when phylloxera arrived. Just over a century later, Olivia Bayés and David Marco decided to return there, build a modern winery and restore the family's old vineyards.
The Marcos family history in the Priorat dates back to at least 1497, when the family was registered during the Catalan census. It must not have been easy for them to leave this land 400 years later and move to Barcelona. However, the decline of viticulture in the Priorat and the emergence of phylloxera forced them to do so.
However, time was kind to the family and Marco Abella's grandson David Marco and his wife Olívia Bayés, together with David's parents Joaquim Marco and Clotilde Moliner, were able to buy back some old vineyards and return to Porrera to establish a modern winery. Ramon Marco Abella and his son Joaquín Marco, David's father, had kept in touch with Porrera and looked after the old estate. In the 1970s, David loved to wander through the vineyards in Terracuques during his holidays. in 2005, David and Olívia gave up their careers as a telecommunications engineer and lawyer to devote themselves entirely to wine.
Today, the winery comprises 41 hectares of vineyards in Porrera, spread over seven terroirs. All are characterised by different slate formations, the most important of which is Llicotella, the liquorice-coloured black slate. El Perer is the home vineyard at 450 to 550 metres with Llicorella Grésos and carboniferous slate. Carignan, Grenache and Cabernet are planted there. La Mallola is the highest vineyard, reaching up to 700 metres.
It is strongly characterised by carboniferous slate and reserved for Grenache and Carignan. Grenache and Carignan in the Terracuques vineyard were planted in 1900. These ancient vines can be found on 1.5 hectares. The soil is characterised by quartzite-rich Llicorella Llimós. The two hectares of Carignan in Solanes and Masos d'en Ferran with Devonian slate are now 90 years old. There is also the La Mina vineyard, planted in 1940, also with Carignan, and the younger La Creu with Garignan, Grenache and Viognier from 2002 and 2017. Marco Abella's wines are a clear expression of these terroirs and bear labels designed by the artists Josep Guinovart (Barcelona 1927-2007) and Pilarin Bayés. They are produced in the gravity-fed bodega under the direction of Joaquin Bielsa and Jean Hoefliger.
© Images: Marco Abella Winery
