This month in our fine wines series we head for Catalunya
Wine and cava are a part of Catalan history. Each glass preserves a small piece of the past, which is why wine tourism in Catalonia is about much more than wine tasting. Enjoy the experience of taking a sip of wine alongside the vineyard, sleeping in a winery, getting a vinotherapy treatment or exploring the vineyards on a burricleta or a segway. When you have a glass of wine again, all the memories will come back.
Wine tourism in Catalonia has many faces, since it is a land of contrasts: the agricultural landscape of Priorat, where the elevated terrain in terraced llicorella soil requires the planting of small plots, which gives the wine that unique taste; the vineyards by the sea that are twisted by the winds of the Empordà DO; grapes grown at 1,000 metres altitude on the Vi de Lleida route; or the vineyards of Bages, protected by the bulk of Montserrat. There are 11 wine Designations of Origin and one cava Designation of Origin, which means there are twelve ways of understanding life in the region, separated by landscape. Hence a rick variery of fine wines to choose from.
You can also learn about the Catalan architectural and cultural heritage through wine tourism. Have you heard about the wine cathedrals? The Penedès Designation of Origin, the biggest producer in the whole of Catalonia, has a lot to teach and offer you. Of course, you’d like to taste its intense red and rosé wines, not forgetting the light, aromatic whites made with traditional “xarel·lo”, “macabeu” and “parellada” varieties which are also used to make cava.
If you visit the area you will find a load of ideas for an enriching… and surprising experience and contact with the world of wine. You can learn to prune the vines (under the guidance of the professionals of the winery), the children can participate in label workshops, or you can go for an electric bike or Segway ride through the vineyards. These are just a few of them.
And if you are looking to spend a sunset barefoot on a chill-out terrace among the vines with friends, you can do that here too! In the Penedès, some wineries offer areas where you can relax sipping a drink to the sound of music and even with open air theatre and cinema.
www.enoturismepenedes.cat
