Catalunya

Welcome to Barcelona! Upon arrival, check in to your centrally-located boutique hotel. In the evening, meet your local host in the lobby. It’s time to dive in! We’ll head to a quiet square in the Sant Gervasi-Santaló neighborhood to Monocrom, a bistro offering a vast selection of natural and organic wines paired with excellent Mediterranean cuisine. The owner will join us for a night filled with unforgettable flavors.

We’ll check out of our Barcelona hotel and enjoy a scenic ride to the town where Salvador Dalí was born. You’re in for a surreal experience at the Salvador Dalí Theater-Museum before we head to nearby producer Vinyes Tortuga. Producers Dido & Jurriaan started their winemaking journey traveling from vineyard to vineyard around the world, gaining a broad range of experience. We’ll learn all about their project and free-spirit philosophy, understanding the creative awareness they apply to their winemaking. Lunch will be served in a nearby traditional Catalan restaurant. With full bellies, we’ll drive to the beautiful Costa Brava and check-in to our seaside hotel. Evening at leisure.

Our early morning will begin with a ride to the starting point of our hot air balloon adventure. When the balloon is prepared, we’ll hop onboard and enjoy the views over Catalan countryside and villages from above. Once we’ve touched down, we’ll make our way to Celler Còsmic Vinyaters. Cosmic’s wines are all based heavily on the philosophy of taking care of vines and making wine with a great passion for their land. We will enjoy a fantastic visit and tasting here, before heading back to the coast for a fantastic lunch right on the sea. With full bellies, we’ll drive back to our hotel and enjoy a free evening.

This morning we’ll check out of our hotel and make our way down the coast to Clos Lentiscus for a 4×4 visit and tasting followed by a delicious lunch. Clos Lentiscus captures the essence of the terroir with their wines, produced at their 14th-century family estate surrounded by Mediterranean forests. Their natural wines are some of the most interesting in Catalonia, and the entire winery is organized around following the principles of biodynamics. Manel, “the bubble man” is behind their exciting sparkling wines, will be ready to greet us. After our visit, we’ll drive to the sea to board a private catamaran. After taking in some beautiful views of the coast and enjoying some time at the beach, we’ll head to our hotel for check in.

After breakfast, we’ll head to a nearby bike rental shop and set off on a cycling tour of the Penedes. Once we’re acquainted with the bikes, we’ll begin cycling alongside vineyards and orchards, passing through the beautiful Catalan countryside deep in wine country. Today’s visit at Partida Creus with Massimo Marchiori y Antonella Geroz. They settled in the Massís de Bonastre in the Baix Penedés around the year 2000 when they started farming local food but had trouble finding wines made in the same style. They decided to make their own, recovering old vines of local grape varietals. Their wines are as natural as it gets with a common denominator of low alcohol and cutting acidity across all of their wines. After an unforgettable visit and lunch, we’ll make our way back to our hotel for an evening at leisure.

After checking out of our hotel, we’re in for a real treat! We’ll dive right in with hands-on workshop. Castellers, or human towers, are a deeply-rooted tradition in Catalan culture. We’ll learn about their cultural significance and how they’re made before joining in on the fun. It doesn’t get more Catalan than this! Next up is Joan Rubió. Joan started his own project with his wife Angels in 2015 after having been the technical director at the famous cava house of Recaredo. Using old family fields he strictly applies the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture; minimum intervention of the soil and spontaneous vegetable cover. His award-winning wines are obtained from free-run juice, without pressing, slowly vinified and macerated with their skins. The family estate has 8 hectares, 3 planted with cereals and olive trees and 5 of vineyards, in the towns of Santa Margarida i els Monjos, Castellví de la Marca and Vilafranca del Penedès. After our visit, we’ll head to our hotel for check in.

Today we’ll play winemaker for the day working the fields of Finca Parera. Rubén Parera converted his family’s 10h estate from organic to biodynamic farming, continuing the natural process into the cellar while applying the same practice to their cherries, almonds, olives, and vegetables. He’ll join us for our experience and a paella lunch in the vines. We’ll have some time to relax this afternoon before gearing up for our final activity: A Sant Joan celebration at nearby restaurant Mambo. Celebrated on the night of June 23rd and 24th each year, Sant Joan, also called Spain’s fire festival, is the one night in the Catalan calendar when pagan, Christian and mystical traditions join together in the form of an eccentric festival. We’ll make the most of tonight with a delicious dinner with plenty of local wines.

This morning we’ll check out and head back to Barcelona for your return flight home or to continue on your solo adventure. Fins després!