The DO Montsant (the name guaranteeing place of origin) embraces the wines of the villages of the ancient county of Prades and the baronies of Cabacés, Entença and Escornalbou. The first written references to the existence of vineyards in the area are found in the documents ceding land, such as that of Ulldemolins in 1166, or in letters relating to the right to establish a village, as for example in the case of Cabacés, granted in 1185 by the Bishop of Tortosa. For years, wine making was dominated by the co-operatives. The co-operative movement emerged in the 20th century, a communal effort arising partially in response to the great catastrophe caused by phylloxera, an unstoppable pest that destroyed all the vines. The revival of the wine industry brought with it the construction of new buildings designed by influential architects like Cèsar Martinell. His work includes the modernist wine cellars in Falset and in Cornudella de Monsant, two examples displaying impressive brickwork. Today, however, alongside the growing prestige of the co-operatives, there are also many private wine cellars of high quality.

The area that today comprises the DO Monsant was, until 2001, included within the DO Tarragona. This had been created in 1947 with Falset named only as a sub-zone within the denomination. However, the individuality of the wines of the area, and the fact that production took place within a well-defined territory, became the primary reason for reclaiming a denomination which differentiated the wines of this area from the remainder of the extensive DO Tarragona.