Complete Penedès and Priorat Wine Tours: Wine Lovers Escape

We will begin our multi-day trip by heading south to the DO Penedès to visit two small, organic vineyards in the Alt Penedès (upper Penedès region). Alt Penedès is known for its smaller-batch, more specialized wines, and the vineyards. It is here where you will be visiting and tasting wines that have been chosen specifically due to their amazing grape growing, winemaking traditions, and the products they produce every year regardless of climate inconsistencies.

The morning stop will consist of a tour of the fields and winery, a presentation by the resident winemaker as well as a 4-product tasting suited to your interests. The lunch venue is a lovely presentation of specialized local fare with wine pairing. Following lunch, we will drive a short distance to the second vineyard, where we will begin with a short trip to the fields for a brief history of the family tradition and a very interesting look at the organic farming process of the past and present and an explanation of the equipment used to elaborate their style of wine, the storage processes, and the bottling methods. Afterward, we head to the tasting room for very generous tastings of whites, reds, and a reserve cava.

The late afternoon is a beautiful drive to the Priorat region and a stop at one of the 800-1000-year-old monasteries along the way for a look at not only some of the best examples of Romanesque architecture (10-12 century) but to also see where the regions wine traditions were carried on by the monks well beyond the region’s past resident Romans (2-4 century).

The dramatic, steep hills (costers) we move through on our journey to the heart of the Priorat is an introduction to a corner of the world you will not soon forget. Moving along from this, our next stop is Gratallops, where we will get you settled in your cozy room that is adorned with vineyard and sunset views before you come downstairs for a private wine tasting and a delicious dinner of local fare with the resident winemaker. This winery is run by Christopher Cannan, who is known for being one of the first in the region (along with Alvaro Palacios, Rene Barbier and Josep Lluis Perez) and is quite a charming character. Their wines are produced with their own grapes from old vines, without watering the vines and without using insecticides or any other synthetic products. After having a fantastic dinner in the winery you can then relax for a while before heading to bed.

You will begin the second day of your wine escape with a gourmet breakfast of local delicacies including artisan cheeses, cured meats, pastries and homemade yogurt. Your guide will meet you at your bed and breakfast and you will begin your day in the incredibly beautiful and rugged Priorat wine region.

During the first part of our day, we will visit the tiny village of Morera de Montsant to take in the stunning views at the foothills of Montsant. From here you will be able to look over the entire region and your guide will give you a quick orientation. Afterward, we will duck into a small winery perched on the hill for a three-product tasting of terrific Priorat wines. Then we will walk downhill on a short nature hike, along a picturesque trail to the monastery of Escala dei. At the end of our hike, we will enjoy a quick tour of the monastery and then head into the small village for an olive oil demonstration.

Once we reach Escala Dei, we will have a rustic lunch in a charming little countryside restaurant. The food is local seasonal fare and is absolutely delicious! After lunch, we will drive to the tiny village of Porrera to meet with Paco Castillo-Serrano of the family-run Clos Dominic winery, to tour their beautiful vineyards and taste their fabulous vintages. This old-vine vineyard (with some vines over 100 years old) was purchased by Paco and his wife, Dominique, in 1998 when they began to fulfill their dream of creating their own wines. To this day, they manage and harvest their vineyards with help only from family and friends.

Following our visit to Porrera, we will begin driving north once again and reach a quaint farmhouse bed and breakfast in the heart of Penedès. This hotel is the perfect place to relax and get in touch with the countryside. Once checked in, you can relax on the grounds for a while until we sit down for a great dinner of deliciously prepared ecologic dishes. There you can enjoy some of the great local wines stocked at the hotel and turn in for the evening.

After a nice country breakfast of bread, meats, cheeses and homemade marmalade you will have the late morning to yourselves. We will give you some time to stroll through the local countryside and vineyards or just relax around the country house. We will come to pick you up around noon and head to our final winery for a catered lunch and wine tasting at the finca (country estate) of a local farmer and winemaker just a few miles down the road. This visit is a great finale for our wine odyssey with a ‘flight’ of some of the region’s best natural brut cava, white, rosé and red wine. We recommend taking this incredible opportunity to just relax and leisurely eat, chat and drink great wine.

On the way back to Barcelona we have a scheduled stop at the Montserrat monastery to enjoy the incredible views from the monastery and the 2300 ft. (720 mts) rock formations, visit the Basilica and black Madonna and see the Escolania boy’s choir sing (when available), a musical tradition that dates back to the early 14th century. We will end this three-day wine adventure back in Barcelona in the early evening so you have time to relax before dinner.

• Free transport in a modern touring van
• Knowledgeable and personable, English-speaking wine guide
• Private visits and tastings in six wineries (three in Penedès and three in Priorat)
• 3 great lunches, 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts in restaurants and wineries
• Entrance and tour at three monasteries (Montserrat, Scala Dei and Santes Creus)
• Country accommodation in a Priorat Winery and a Penedès country inn

• Guide’s gratuity