Costers del Segre

[[Image:DO Costers del Segre.png|thumb|right|220px|Costers del Segre DO in [[Catalonia]]]] '''Costers del Segre''' is a Spanish [[Denominación de Origen]] (DO) (''Denominació d'Origen'' in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]) for wines located in the province of [[Lleida]] ([[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]) and is divided into several separate sub-zones. The four original subzones created in 1988 are [[Artesa]], to the northeast of Lleida, [[Valls de Riucorb]] to the east, [[Garrigues (comarca)|Garrigues]] and [[Raïmat]]. In 1998 two other subzones were added: [[Conca de Dalt|Pallars Jussà]], next to the town of [[Tremp]], 90 km north of Lleida and [[Segrià]] to the west and completely surrounded by the [[Raimat]] subzone. ==Climate== The climate is continental (hot summers and cold winters), influenced by the proximity of the [[Pyrenees]], though rainfall is sparse. Average rainfall is around 450 mm though 300 mm is common in the west. Average annual temperature is 15°C (max 35°C in summer, minimum below zero in winter). There are also extreme variations between daytime and night-time temperatures all year. Drought, hailstones and spring frosts are occasional risks for the vineyards. ==Soils== Even though the vineyards are dispersed geographically, most are on dark lime bearing soils, with a high lime content, low clay content and poor in organic matter. Height varies between 250 m and 700 m above sea level. ==Grape Varieties== Several grape varieties, both local and foreign, are authorised in the Costers del Segre DO: for white wines: [[Macabeo]], [[Parellada]], [[Riesling]] and [[Sauvignon Blanc]]; and for red wines: [[Garnacha Tinta]], [[Tempranillo]] (known locally as Ull de Llebre), [[Trepat]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Monastrell]], [[Merlot]], [[Pinot Noir]] and [[Syrah]]. The grapes used for making [[Catalan_wine#Cava|Cava]] are grown mainly in the east. The older vines grow as low bushes (''en vaso''), while the more recently planted ones are on [[trellises (wine)|trellises]] (''en espaldera'') so as to allow mechanisation of vineyards activities. Maximum authorised planting density is 2,500 vines/ha. The vineyards in the west of the province use [[irrigation (vine)|irrigation]] systems to mitigate the effects of the cold and the heat. ==External links== *http://www.winesfromspain.com *http://www.costersdelsegre.es {{coord missing|Spain}}