Penedes
Just beyond Barcelona's cosmopolitan energy lies Catalonia's most dynamic wine region—birthplace of Cava and home to producers who've spent generations perfecting the art of sparkling wine while quietly building some of Spain's most ambitious still wine programs. From historic Cava houses whose underground cellars stretch for kilometers to innovative estates coaxing extraordinary complexity from Xarel·lo, Macabeo, and Parellada, Penedès is where sparkling tradition and Mediterranean reinvention exist side by side. Our relationships provide access to producers rarely open to visitors, private tastings of vintage Cavas with decades of lees aging, behind-the-scenes disgorgement and riddling experiences at iconic Cava houses, Barcelona's Gaudí masterworks, hands-on Catalan cooking classes, and the unique intersection of sparkling wine mastery and Mediterranean culture. Wine provides the gateway to Catalonia.
CULINARY ARTS
Paella cooking classes with Valencian chefs using saffron-infused bomba rice over open wood fires, access to several of the world's top Michelin-starred restaurants within an hour of the region—including Barcelona's legendary dining scene where inventive tasting menus push the boundaries of Catalan cuisine, iconic tapas restaurants where generations of families have perfected single dishes into art forms, crema catalana workshops learning Catalonia's answer to crème brûlée with its signature caramelized sugar crust, fresh seafood feasts at coastal fishing villages along the Garraf coast, La Boqueria and Santa Caterina market tours followed by tapas crawls through El Born and the Gothic Quarter, xató salad preparation—Penedès' signature winter dish of curly endive, salt cod, tuna, and romesco sauce—with local families who've guarded their recipes for generations, calçotada experiences during spring season with flame-charred calçots dipped in salvitxada sauce, Catalan coca flatbread baking workshops, and olive oil tastings from centuries-old Arbequina groves throughout the region.
CULTURE & LEISURE
Gaudí's architectural masterworks including Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, and the awe-inspiring Sagrada Família, Montserrat's Black Madonna basilica perched above dramatic limestone formations with mountain hiking trails offering panoramic views across Catalonia, the coastal charm of Sitges with its pristine beaches, Belle Époque architecture, and vibrant gallery scene, Barcelona's Las Ramblas leading into the Gothic Quarter where medieval streets wind past the Cathedral and hidden plaças, the Picasso Museum's extraordinary collection tracing the artist's formative Barcelona years, FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium experiences for football enthusiasts, the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres—a surrealist pilgrimage and one of Spain's most visited museums, Joan Miró Foundation on Montjuïc with sweeping city views, private sailing excursions along the Costa Brava coastline, and the medieval village of Vilafranca del Penedès with its wine museum and human tower traditions.
ARTISAN TRADITIONS
Cork production facilities in nearby Catalonia where centuries-old forests supply closures for the region's finest Cavas and still wines, behind-the-scenes Cava disgorgement and riddling demonstrations—watching skilled hands guide bottles through the remuage process that defines méthode traditionnelle, ceramic tile workshops continuing the Catalan tradition of trencadís mosaic work made famous by Gaudí, traditional esparto grass weaving with artisans keeping alive one of the Mediterranean's oldest crafts, visits to glass bottle-making facilities purpose-built for Cava's unique pressure requirements, traditional basket weaving used for generations in grape harvesting, and cooperage demonstrations showcasing the oak aging techniques increasingly employed by Penedès' ambitious still wine producers.