Full-day Wine Tour from Sitges (6-hours aprox.).
Recommended season: all year round (under request).
For Wine Lovers and Professionals.
Anthony contacted us looking for a day out of Sitges beaches and trying to discover the Mediterranean landscape on the other side of Garraf hills. As a group of friends considered themselves foodies, we personalized the experience to learn about the local products from inland Penedes: cheese and wine. Nice marriage, isn’t it?
We picked the three friends up in front of their accommodation and drove through the Natural Park of Garraf to reach out to a centenarian traditional countryside house from the region (“Mas” in Catalan). Nowadays, this “mas” is a school farm that hosts some animals like goats, pigs, rabbits, horses, donkeys… which works as a cooperative and produces a short production of artisan cheese.
Led by Joan, the local cheese producer, we discovered the secrets about the elaboration of goat cheese and the different kind of cheeses produced by this artisan.
Once we finished with the production and as some time was required to get cheeses ready for consumption, we walked through this amazing historic country house in order to learn about its history. Obviously, part of the visit is to “meet” the animals of the farm. We felt very welcomed by the charming goats!
Finally, the best part, the cheese tasting selected by Joan. We married them with local red wine. Obviously, and as by the tradition, it has to be tested using the traditional beverage tool, “el porró”.
The next activity on the schedule was to drive further into Penedes valley, the biggest wine region in Catalonia where hundreds of wineries are placed. It’s also a millenarian wine region, as evidence of Romans is still visible in some hidden spots. We visited one of them, a remarkable one, an organic winery in the heart of Penedes which preserves the roman heritage and at the same time produces prestigious white and wines. Doubtless, it is worth taste its wines paired with regional appetizers, a gourmet wine experience surrounded by vineyards.
Precisely, part of the visit takes place among these vineyards. Being harvest time, we didn't miss the opportunity to taste some fresh berries directly from the vines.
We were able to prove our taste senses through a berry tasting. Appreciate into the vineyards the differences of each single grape variety it's unique. You realize how the ripening process affects the quality, the handpicking is involved as well, or even how the climatology influences at the time of harvesting.
It's more than a winery visit, it's an educational experience about wine and aromas!
Afterward, we moved to the other cellar where the sparkling from the same family state winery is elaborated. It's produced into the extraordinary underground “caves” by following the traditional method or champenoise method.
This winery is well known to produce some of the best Cava in the region and consequently in Spain. More than 90% of the sparkling wine in the country is produced in this region.
We didn’t miss the opportunity to savor these Premium products with a beautiful food pairing experience tasting gourmet appetizers with 4 Cavas.
The journey ended up in Sitges where was time to say “see you very soon” once we have enjoyed a genuine wine day:
- Visit to artisan cheese producer
- Visit to a historical Mas into the natural Park of Garraf
- Cheese taste paired with local red wine
- A drive through the Penedes wine region learning about its history
- Stroll among the vineyard at harvest time tasting different varietal berries
- Prestigious wine tasting with local appetizers
- Visit to the underground caves and learning about elaboration processes
- Cava tasting married with gourmet appetizers
And being not enough for these three gentlemen, they asked for some recommendations of restaurants in Sitges for the night… it seems the party was not over yet! See you very soon lovely friends!
Full-day Wine Tour from Sitges (6-hours aprox.).
Recommended season: all year round (under request).
For Wine Lovers and Professionals.
