DOQ Priorat yesterday announced the death of its president, Sal.lustià 'Salus' Álvarez, at the age of 65. Álvarez, who had held this post since 1992, was found dead at his home in Porrera. The news has sent shockwaves through the wine industry, particularly in Catalonia.
“Salus Álvarez has been a pivotal figure in the development and standing of DOQ Priorat over recent decades,” the Regulatory Board said in a statement. Messages of condolence poured in from other Catalan appellations, including Terra Alta, Montsant and Catalunya, all praising his contribution to the DOQ’s prestige and international reputation, as well as his unwavering commitment to Priorat.
Born in Porrera in 1960, Álvarez was a farmer and winegrower who also served as the town’s mayor, representing the PSC (the Catalan Socialist Party) from 1987 to 2003. Between 2001 and 2014, he combined his role as president of the DOQ Priorat with the management of Celler Vall Llach, the winery founded in Porrera by singer-songwriter Lluís Llach and notary Enric Costa. Between 2015 and 2016, he established his own family project, Álvarez Durán. The photograph above was taken during a visit to his bodega in 2017.
“He loved this region more than anyone else,” says Albert Costa, current owner of Vall Llach. “He came through very difficult times, such as the crisis triggered by the Turkish hazelnuts and the floods of 1994, and played a key role in Priorat’s revival and subsequent growth. When he became president, there were just 25 wineries; today, there are 110. He was instrumental in forging consensus across the region, working alongside Álvaro Palacios and René Barbier to develop the project ‘Los Nombres de la Tierra’. This ensured that grapes, plots and the land itself remained the most important assets in Priorat.”
When the region introduced the vi de vila (village wine) category with the 2007 vintage, Álvarez explained that the aim was to achieve a level of geographical definition comparable to that of the world's leading wine-producing regions. At the same time, he sought to highlight the rural fabric of small villages. “As grapes pass into the hands of wholesale traders, the link between wine and culture is lost,” he noted at the time. Álvarez always emphasised the social importance of wine for the region.
“Thanks to him, Spain’s first grand cru classification was established,” says leading winemaker Álvaro Palacios. “It is a genuinely pyramid-shaped system, approved by EU authorities, ranging from regional, village and lieu-dit wines to classified and grand cru classé vineyards.” This makes him a figure of enormous significance in the history of fine wine in Spain.”
Salus Álvarez leaves a wife and three children.
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
