The Gil family began its winemaking activity in Horta de Sant Joan during the first half of the 19thcentury and has constantly developed and grown since then.

In 1842 Ramon Gil bought some rustic plots of land which he turned into vineyards and where he built the first winery. His son Antonio Gil continued his work and increased the business by buying grapes locally and building a still that made the typical brandies of the area. Rodrigo Gil, the third generation, was a pioneer in the installation of modern winemaking equipment. He began to buy grapes from towns further away. Elias Gil, the current generation, transferred this activity to a new winery equipped with all the facilities required to make modern style wines for a new market of consumers who seek high quality.

This family business is now able to sell wines under three appellations: DO Terra Alta, DO Tarragona and DO Catalunya.

La Vinícola de Gandesa is set in the “highlands” of Catalunya above the river Ebro, just 150 miles south of Barcelona. It is a dramatically wild mountainous landscape of southern Catalunya. In this area, only vines, almonds, olives and cherries manage to survive the harsh and arid climate.

Many of the vines are located around the old small town of Horta de Sant Joan, home of the Knights Templar. They are low-yielding vines (9,000 kg or around 10 tons per hectare) grown on clay soil with some chalk and stony content. They are located 400 meters (a quarter mile) above sea level, with 2,800 hours of annual sunshine and just 350-500 mm of annual rainfall.

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