Grape Escapes in Barcelona
With four DOs (Designation of Origin) in the province of Barcelona alone, there's no need to travel far to explore vineyards and taste great wines. Whether you’re a wine expert or a total beginner, enotourism is a wonderful way to learn about the local winemaking processes and discover the hills and valleys of this lovely area.
The World of Wine: A New Kind of Tourism
Viniculture has a long tradition in Catalunya. Each winery is unique and, whether it’s a family home, a Catalan Art Nouveau landmark or the work of a famous architect, the main estate building bears the hallmark of its personality. The wine is also a product of the cellar’s unique character and influenced by numerous factors, including the vineyard’s history, production processes, soil, vine and climate. All these factors establish the bouquet and flavor of the wine produced on the estate.
Local cellars offer many wine-related activities from dramatized tours to tasting sessions and masterclasses in culinary pairing. For an authentic first-hand experience you can even work on an estate, either during the busy harvest time, or during the winter, husbanding the vine.
There are also plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, wandering lush walking routes amidst the vineyards by foot, Segway or in a horse and carriage.
A wide variety of local accommodation is available to suit all tastes and budgets, from rustic country guesthouses to boutique hotels. And for the perfect grape escape, try vinotherapy— beauty treatments that use grapes for their micronutrients and anti-ageing properties.
Four DOs, Four Different Worlds
DO Penedès: Catalunya’s largest DO
Covering a long strip of land between the sea and the mountains, halfway between Barcelona and Tarragona, the influence of sun and sea breezes makes this area a privileged setting for wine production, and one of the most ancient winemaking regions in Europe. Xarel·lo is the grape variety that is best adapted to the region’s land and climate and thus the one most commonly found here. This is also the Catalan DO with most wineries, and therefore also the one with the greatest variety of offerings.
Don’t miss: The VINSEUM, the Museum of Wine Culture of Catalunya, located in Vilafranca del Penedès. In this converted medieval palace, you can take a trip through the history of wine, from its origins to the present day.
DO Alella: Green Vines Close to the Sea
The influence of the sea is a determining factor in the color and bouquet of Alella’s whites, produced mainly from the pansa blanca (xarel·lo) grape variety. Quality, not quantity, in this DO—there may be only eight cellars, but they produce high quality wines. Indeed, traditionally, the whites of Alella were known as the wines of the Catalan bourgeoisie. Today, in addition to whites, the region also produces reds, rosés, dessert wines and cavas.
Don’t miss: A visit to the Teià Tourist Reception Center, set alongside the ancient Roman winery of Vallmora, will help you learn more about Roman Catalunya and its links with the world of wine.
DO Pla de Bages: Mountain Landscapes
The DO Pla de Bages stretches between the mountains of Montserrat, Castelltallat, Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac and the massif of Montcau. The most common grape variety here is Picapoll, which gives its wines their distinctive personality. There are a dozen wineries in this DO, and their offerings include the possibility of learning about barraques de vinya and tines, buildings constructed close to the vines to make working the land less burdensome.
DO Cava: Bubbles for Any Party
The DO Cava is a multi-region DO although 95 percent of all cava is produced in the Penedès region. Here, the winery buildings are key, as their underground tunnels are the resting place for millions of bottles of cava. What’s more, some of these buildings are emblematic works by leading Catalan Art Nouveau architects.
Don’t miss: Sant Sadurní d’Anoia is known as the "Cava capital" and is home to the delightfully sensorial Cava Interpretation Centre, housed in a former distillery dating from 1814. Here, you can find out more about the history of cava, and the festivals and architecture associated with this bubbling elixir.
Festivals
The world of cava is closely linked to celebrations and there are festivals year-round where visitors can enjoy tastings and other activities. Thousands of people flock to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia for Cava Week at the beginning of October in search of bubbly fun in the form of cercaviles (traditional parades), exhibitions, culinary workshops and, last but not least, tastings of the region’s best cavas.
For anyone who enjoys good wine and beautiful landscapes, a trip to the countryside surrounding Barcelona is a must. The Barcelona Provincial Council promotes the social and economic development of the municipalities in the province of Barcelona through the tourism sector, whilst ensuring that a harmonious balance is maintained between this development and the environments in which it takes place.
For more information, visit www.barcelonaismuchmore.com
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