Wine tours from Barcelona

We took the small-group version of this tour with Spanish Trails in 2017. The Priorat region is inland from Tarragona and produces full-bodied reds. We used Spanish Trails for a different private tour as well. Great guides.

https://spanish-trails.com/tours/wines-of-catalunya-doq-priorat/

I would hit the Barcelona TI on the piazza. In the past we had had good luck with the tours they offer.

Hi Martha,

The cradle (and place of "invention" if you want) of cava is, precisely, here in Catalonia :) Read about it here: https://www.cava.wine/en/regulatory-board/cava-designation-of-origin/cava-history/

Here you have a handy map of the different wine regions here in Catalonia: https://cmsmultimedia.catalunya.com/mds/multimedia/485902/ and here is a more detailed doc which includes lots of info: https://cmsmultimedia.catalunya.com/mds/multimedia/485878/

Catalonia is home to some of the best wines in the world. Wine and food define our culture and folklore. Priorat, Penedes, Cava, and much more. The Greek colonies in the Emporda region introduced the cultivation of vines probably over 2000 years ago. Later, the Romans centralized the production around Tarraco (Tarragona) and Alella, near Barcino (Barcelona). During the medieval ages, monasteries developed and improved the varieties, such as in the case of Priorat. The Catalan wine industry nowadays produces ~380 million bottles per year.

For info, the grapes used In Catalan wine are classified as follows:

• Native Catalan Grape Varieties: Macabeu (aka Macabeo, or Viura in Rioja region), Xarel·lo (aka Pansa blanca in Alella), Picapoll, Sumoll (Red), Trepat (Red)
• Traditional Catalan Grapes: Garnatxa (aka Garnacha or Grenache), Malvasia, Monestrell, Moscatell, Parellada, Samsó, Ull de llebre (aka Tempranillo)
• In addition to the native and traditional grape varieties, Catalan wineries also produce international modern varieties such as: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinor Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc

The offer of wine tours is large, in Catalonia -a territory the size of Maryland- there are more than 600 wine producers. Nowadays, many of them offer visits and tastings in their wineries, as well as complementing the offer with excellent meals. The problem for the foreign visitor is that many of them are out of reach because it is not always easy (or convenient) to use public transport to get to them. Therefore it is best to rent a car.

Not being my area of expertise, I advise you to visit the Tourist Office in Barcelona for more and better information.

Enjoy!

There is an excellent tour 45 minutes away from Barcelona at:

Caves Codorniu

They are the leading producers of Cava in Catalonia.

Literally much of the tour is underground on a tram ride. They said there are about a million bottles of cava being aged down there.

They have English speaking tours where you can learn how cava is produced.

I believe you need to rent a car to get there (rural vineyards)

Hi, when journeying out from Barcelona to vineyards you do not always need a hire car or private wine tour. RENFE — the Spanish (not Catalan) national rail network offers a combined ticket for just 17€ which includes round-trip train from Barcelona and a tour of Freixenet cava winery in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. RENFE also used to (still?) do the same for Cordoníu [https://www.codorniu.com/en] in the same locality — although it involves a taxi pick up at the rail station as it's a little way out of the town.
Go here: https://www.freixenet.es/en/wine-tourism/freixenet-wineries AND here: https://www.renfe.com/es/es/cercanias/rodalies-catalunya/ofertas-mas-populares/combinado-freixenet.
Should also add that it's possible to visit other wineries in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, such as Giró i Giró, [https://www.cavagiro.com/en/] free of charge, although the expectation is that you'll buy a few bottles [of wine, cava or vinegar] before you leave.
Have spent many happy hours with dear friends in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia over many years.
Enjoy your visit.

Enric - thank you for the link to the Catalonia wine map and informational brochure. It is fabulous!