The meticulous, eccentric and dedicated Joan Asens has been an influential wine authority in Catalunya for more than two decades, and as a professor of lunar cycles at the local winemaking University in Falset, he is considered a “guru of biodynanmics”. At the helm of viticulture and vineyard management for the acclaimed Alvaro Palacios in Priorat for nearly 18 years, Joan Asens has played a vital role in the creation of some of Spain’s most elite wines. Returning home to Mas Roig in 2009, Montsant to cultivate his friends and family’s old vines, has proved no exception. With a vibrancy and freshness unmatched in the DO, the seamless wines of Orto Vins, generally have a brighter finish, lower alcohol, and softer, floral, even elegant tannins.

Joan and three of his childhood friends are dedicated to elaborating pure wines following the traditional farming philosophies of their great grandparents and honoring the biodynamic cycle of the moon. Leaving no grape behind, Joan begins a trickle harvest 6 weeks ahead of most, with daily picking and subsequent drying of all the little raisins that have developed within each of cluster of sun drenched bunches. From these earlyharvested, concentrated and dried grapes, Orto Vins makes two (white and red) very luscious dessert wines with a mild 15% alcohol. With each pass through the vineyard, with each pick, the vine’s energy focuses on the remaining fruit so that each grape is harvested at their optimum physiological ripeness. Not at all green, and never raisinated at the time of final harvest, Orto Vins is a true vineyard selection.

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Technical Data

MONTSANT | VINTAGE REPORTS 2019–2025

2019 Vintage: A hot, exceptionally dry growing season culminated in an intense late-June and early-July heatwave, significantly reducing yields, particularly for Carinyena. Despite the challenging conditions, grapes arrived exceptionally healthy, producing concentrated wines with ripe fruit, intensity, structure and excellent aging potential.
2020 Vintage: Heavy winter and spring rainfall, combined with unusually warm temperatures, created unprecedented mildew pressure and reduced production by approximately 15%. A hot, dry summer accelerated ripening and produced wines with vibrant tannins, elevated acidity and considerable structure, particularly suited to extended aging.
2021 Vintage: Beneficial winter snowfall, regular summer rainfall and the absence of extreme heat encouraged slow, balanced ripening and healthy fruit. Despite some rain during harvest, Montsant produced its most abundant crop in five years, approximately 8.7 million kg, yielding elegant wines with freshness, vibrant acidity and refined tannins.
2022 Vintage: An exceptionally hot, dry growing season brought repeated summer heatwaves and accelerated ripening, although the absence of rainfall around harvest ensured exceptionally healthy fruit. Despite the climatic challenges, Montsant harvested more than 7.5 million kg, producing concentrated, expressive wines with generous fruit, structure and excellent quality.
2023 Vintage: Severe drought and persistent heat accelerated ripening, resulting in Montsant's earliest harvest on record. Production declined approximately 30% to 5.5 million kg, but dry conditions minimized disease pressure, delivering remarkably healthy fruit with concentration, aromatic intensity and promising quality.
2024 Vintage: A third consecutive year of severe drought pushed Montsant's vineyards into extreme water stress, reducing production to just over 4 million kg, approximately 50% below the historical average. Despite exceptionally low yields, the dry conditions helped maintain healthy grapes, producing a small but promising harvest with concentrated fruit and pronounced regional character.
2025 Vintage: Improved water availability and favorable growing conditions brought welcome relief after consecutive drought-affected harvests. Without major weather disruptions, vines achieved balanced ripening and exceptionally healthy fruit, yielding approximately 6.3 million kg, a 50% increase over 2024, with excellent quality reported across both red and white varieties.