Wine tour at Barcelona
60If during your vacation you want to do something different than visiting museums, why not do a kind of vineyard tour ?
If you love wine, it can be interesting to visit those cellars and wineries and by this way, to discover and to experience a playful and cultural tour of catalan wine and its country.
In Catalonia, there are 4 main producer zones :
- Route of Penedès (near Barcelona)
- Route of Terra Alta (near Tarragona)
- Route of Costers del Segre (near Lleida)
- Route of Priorat (near Reus)
To visit vineyards around those areas you will need to rent a car if you want to do it by yourself, if not you have to buy one of the pack offers from tourism agencies.
If you decide to go by yourself, I will recommend you to give a call to the winery to schedule a date and time. Most of them get used to receive visits and generally, they have a kind of tour to show you their vineyard, the elaboration place, the cellar… and you will have the pleasure to get a wine tasting and if you like it, you can buy some bottles. Even in some winery, you will have right to a little video presentation and a DVD like gift.
So if you don’t call in advance to announce your coming, you may not be able to enjoy all those nice things that the owner has prepared for his guests but at least, call them or check their official website (I don’t put the link but by doing a search with their name, you will find it easily) in order to know their opening visit time so you can taste and buy some bottles.
Like in my article cava tasting tour near Barcelona, the price will cost you between 5 and 10 euros and if you use the service of the tourism agency, the price is starting from 100 euros which include visit and hotel. Following I will describe some famous wineries categorized by route.
Route of Penedès
Joan Sardà winery (address, ctra vilafranca a st jaume dels domenys) located at Castellví de la Marca – phone (+34) 938918053. You will visit : the vineyards and the discovery of every variety of grapes the estate, a presentation of the history of Joan Sardà wineries and the wide gardens which surround the house and where meetings and social acts are celebrated, the production place where the tradition and the automation are combined in order to obtain a final product of quality, the room of raising where the time grants the wine the ideal maturity through a stable temperature and a controlled dampness, an indispensable condition for a good aging in the cask of oak the zone of expedition where the final product is stored and it will be sent to different national and international markets.
Heredad Segura Viudas winery (address, ctra sant sadurní a s. pere de riudebitlles) located at Torrelavit – phone (+34) 938917070. This winery is the first and the only one to receive the special premium “great vinitaly” and to be known as “winery of the year” by the magazine “wine & spirits”. You will visit the facilities and cellars with a complete explanation of the elaboration process and will end in the main room of the original Masia of the 12th century.
Marfil Alella winery (address, rambla angel guimerà 62) located at Alella – phone (+34) 935403842. The great part of the vineyards and the proper winery are located in the center of Alella, the heart of the Denomination of Origin. Wines are characterized by the mediterranean climate and the particular geological character of the area.
Route of Terra Alta
Clos Barenys winery (address, camí vell de cambrils 180) located at Vila-Seca – phone (+34) 977353099. Clos Bareys are wines of high expression and singular personality. You will discover their wines through innovative offers of tasting within an unique space surrounded by vineyards near the sea.
Avgvstvs Forum winery (address, ctra de sant vicenç) located at El Vendrell – phone (+34) 977666910. In 1983, when they plant their first vineyards, they found an old path which joined Rome with Cadiz, the augusta road, which is the origin of the name of this winery. Their doors are always opened for people lovers of the wine and who want to discover the secrets of a small winery in front of the Mediterranean.
Route of Costers del Segre
Raimat winery (address, afueras) located at Raimat – phone (+34) 973259266. Raimat's estate is acquired in 1914 and nowadays its vineyard and winery have done that Raimat is one of the most innovative and prestigious wine of the world - keep reading
