Clos Alkio
Let the grapes speak
Clos Alkio was founded in 2020 by Mikko Alkio, a Finnish enthusiast of wine and Catalonia. He has acquired vineyards of around 25 hectares in close proximity of a small village of Gratallops, a prestigious wine-making area in the heart of Priorat.
Clos Alkio will develop the winery with the aim of producing high-quality wines in Priorat tradition, mainly from old Garnacha and Cariñena vines, as well as using Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Tempranillo grapes. In addition, Clos Alkio produces complex white wines. Our unique monovarietals allow our clients to taste the natural and pure tastes of different Priorat grapes.
Clos Alkio has invested in the best machinery and production tools to ensure the production of high-quality wines. Since August 2022 the inhouse processing capacity of Clos Alkio has increased to 25.000 kgs of grapes. Clos Alkio has continued the wine-making tradition of an old winery from the 13th century in Calle Saperas 7, Gratallops.
- Year 2020 - first commercial vintage
- 10 000+ bottles per year
Inspired by priorat nature
Priorat is a small, unique wine region in southern Catalonia, about 40 minutes’ drive from the Mediterranean coast and Tarragona, full of history. It is no wonder that monks arrived here almost a thousand years ago to cultivate and teach the locals in viticulture.
The exceptional nature of Priorat and the llicorella soil create exceptionally good conditions for viticulture. Clos Alkio strives to respect and protect Priorat’s nature in all its activities.
Artisan wines with MINIMUM INTERVENTION
All our vines are treated by hand. This applies to winter pruning, green pruning, harvesting and all what we do in our lands. We are in the program of ecologic winery and use only natural products in viticulture and winemaking. The quality of the grapes is essential for us. We do not use any water to grow our production. Nature takes care of irrigation. The same approach applies to all we do also inside the winery.
- Herbicides & pesticides free farming
- Low sulfur oxide containment
- Only natural yeast
RENOVATION
In October 2020, Clos Alkio purchased Calle Sapers 7. I have been told that the history of the cellar dates back to the 1300th century. The cellar has two large pools where thousands of kilos of grapes have been trampled for centuries. One can see that the upper floor of the house has been built in several steps.
In summer 2022 we finished the works of the cellar and the winery is now fully licensed in DOQ Priorat. The tasting room and living floors have now also been finished and hopefully we can soon provide them for the use of our clients and guests.
Along with the winery on Calle Saperas, we have renovated a house right next to it in Gratallops. We are also slowly renovating the existing buildings on our lands, the furthest of which is located near the beautiful village of Porrera.
planting and land development
It is so fascinating to follow different seasons in different years. It feels like the years are so different.
A key part of Clos Alkio’s plan is to buy both land and interesting buildings in Priorat and renovate them both for own production and rental use. We want to take good care of vineyards and, on the other hand, increase the value of the land by improving its productivity. However, it is essential to strengthen biodiversity and the quality of the grapes, not the quantity.
We started replanting in the winter of 2021 and our goal is to be able to plant vines systematically every year from 2024. In the future, we want to be able to cultivate as many different grapes as possible in the lands best suited to them. Our big concern is climate change. It will certainly change Priorat as well.
Owner
Mikko Alkio
I visited Priorat first time in October 2013. I was very nervous because I have never liked mountainous routes and high places. I first arrived in Porrera, from where I drove to Torroja de Priorat. Harvesting was still going on at some small family wineries, because despite it being Sunday, work was being done in many places. On the road between Torroja and Gratallops I stopped several times because the road felt so steep.
In 2018-2019, the feeling of buying my own small winery grew. However, I quickly understood that I wanted to build everything from scratch, buy land and build my own winery. I made my first purchases in the middle of the Covid crisis and Clos Alkio winery was born.
The most important thing for me is to respect Priorat’s traditions and the life of local people. On the other hand, I believe that I do it best by bringing something new, but well suited to Priorat. Clos Alkio’s goal is to take care of its lands, buildings and employees and produce high-quality top wines.
My other passion is competition law and economics. I work as a partner in a Finnish law firm. But now Priorat has become my second home. Today, Priorat’s roads no longer feel too rough.
