From the Wine Enthusiast article:
"… Because of high summer temperatures at lower elevations, the Torres family has been buying and rehabilitating remote mountaintop vineyards.
"While the ‘Las Palau’ vineyard is at around 1,800 feet of elevation, the ‘Les Escostes’ vineyard, an ancient location with clay soils and stone terraces soars to about 2,300 feet. This difference in altitude can aid in preserving freshness and acidity during the long, hot growing season thanks to mountain breezes and cooler nighttime temperatures; the temperature falls by one degree for every 328 feet of altitude. This barely accessible vineyard up a steep, twisting dirt track can only be cared for and harvested by hand. But to the Torres winemakers, the challenges are worth it if the grapes survive and the resulting wine is good.
"The other rescued-producing varieties are Moneu, Querol, Gonfaus, and Pirene, the last of which is named for the nearby mountain range that shares a border with France. Producing an expressive wine with bright flavors of pomegranate, cranberry, milk chocolate and clove, it is planted in the highest vineyard in Catalonia, which sits at more than 3,100 feet above sea level.
"Miguel Junior notes, ‘Climate change is forcing us to find different places and different environments where we can plant vines in the future. We were looking for better acidity, better freshness and late ripening.’ He went on, ‘Pirene can help us to recover viticulture in the Pyrenees. There used to be a lot planted there, but there are very few wineries now.’
“Both the single varietal Forcada and Pirene are available in the U.S. market, and Querol has been part of the blend of ‘Las Muralles’, along with Cariñena, Garnacha, Monastrell, and Cinsault, since 2012…”.
New York Times (via Internet Archive)
“Freshness in a Changed Climate: High Altitudes, Old Grapes”
by Eric Asimov
October 24, 2019
"…Torres is experimenting with six virtually unknown grapes, including pirene and forcada, that may be better suited for future climate conditions.
"The six grapes are the legacy of a search the elder Mr. Torres began 30 years ago, when he had the idea of gathering ancestral Catalan grapes to create a historic collection. As climate change became an issue, the family began to think of these ancestral grapes in another way.
"What if some of these grapes had been abandoned by growers precisely because they ripened too late and were too acidic? These characteristics, a problem under the prevailing climate of the last couple of centuries, could be beneficial now and in the future, when a primary goal for growers is to prevent grapes from ripening too fast in the heat and to retain fresh acidity.
“Of the 52 old and forgotten Catalan varieties gathered in the search, Mr. Torres and his colleagues identified six of particular interest because of their high acidity and tendency to ripen late. Then began a long process to create vines that were free of viruses and other maladies, to plant them and eventually turn them into wine…”.
Foods & Wines from Spain website
“Wine Grapes varieties”
Wines of Portugal website
“Know the Portuguese Grape Varieties”