Tarragona covers the middle of its province, from the Camp de Tarragona plain behind the city to the lower hills near the coast and a stretch of the Ebro bank. The Romans planted here on a large scale, shipping wine out of Tarraco in amphorae stamped with the city's name, and the archaeology of that trade is still being dug out of the fields.

The sea keeps the temperature even, so there are no extremes, though the rainfall is unreliable. The appellation has long been the workhorse of Catalan wine, supplying base wine for Cava and bulk wine for blending, which is why its name is less familiar than those of its small neighbours Priorat and Montsant. Macabeo and Xarel-lo are the main whites, Garnacha and Cariñena the main reds. The historic speciality is Tarragona Clàssic, a sweet fortified wine aged in oak, which was once exported in quantity as an altar wine.