Catalonia Road Trip: Part Three Capital of Cava

Imagine waking up in Catalonia’s sparkling wine region, the Capital of Cava! You rise from your bed to open the curtains and let the sun in. As you draw the curtain back, all you can see are acres upon acres of grape vines. This is what you’ll experience if you stay at Hotel Restaurant Sol i Vi, 4km from Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. We found ourselves there on a crisp December morning, on the fifth day of our Catalonia Road Trip. (This is the third part of our ‘Catalonia Road Trip’ series. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2.) After a light breakfast in the hotel foyer, we make our way towards Sant Sadurni.

Sant Sadurni is known as the ‘Capital of Cava’, a top enotourism destination in Spain. Located in the Penedes region, this area in southern Catalonia is home to over 80 local cellars that make up 90% of all Spanish Cava production! There are cellars here to fit every taste, timeframe and budget. The proximity of the vineyards to one another are what make for a completely customizable day, or weekend, of Cava cellar exploration. Most of the cellars begin to open around 9am which allows for a very early start.

Enotourism– aka Wine Tourism or Vinitourism means organizing travel around the appreciation of, tasting of, and purchase of wine. It is a great way to learn about the people, culture, heritage, and customs of an area. Enotourism can consist of visits to wineries, tastings, vineyard walks, or even taking an active part in the harvest.

Wikitravel.org

Sunday Morning in Spanish Wine Country

We made our first stop just outside town at Canals & Munne, because, it’s never too early for a tasting. As we plan to explore several ‘caves’ today, we share a flight here. The vibe is very much casual but accomplished winery, with an open concept tasting room displaying all of their many trophies and awards. Here you’ll pay €10 for four sparkling wine samples, accompanied by a side of crackers.

Next, we cross the street to Pere Ventura, possibly the fanciest wine cellar we have EVER visited. Upon entering the heavy wooden doors, we were greeted by one of several hostesses standing behind a foyer desk. She begins by asking what type of wine experience we are looking for. Next, she leads us down a long, dimly lit hallway, similar to a vault, which open up into a large, ballroom-like tasting room. The perimeter of the room is lined with tall glass doors that open up to the property (in warmer seasons). These doors are adorned with renaissance inspired drapes, emphasizing the luxurious vibes in this tasting room.

We are taken to a tall table where a new, sharply dressed, male staff member describes our flight options. He will be catering to us over the next half hour as we indulge in an intimate tasting. Again we split a tasting, and this one comes with little bites/pairings, for each of the wines we sample. This tasting is a little more expensive at €25 for four pours, but well worth the experience.

Cava Week – if you find yourself in Catalonia the first week of October, it may be worth exploring Cava Week. This is a week long Cava celebration with a tasting fair that features 50 local wineries and food producers. October 12th is another date to note as all of the caves open their doors to visitors at no charge!

Entering Sant Sadurni d’Anoia

With a couple cellars under our belts, we make our way into town to find a place to park. Once you enter the ‘downtown’, there are MANY more wineries within a stone’s throw of one another. This makes for a highly walkable winery experience, which is welcome.

Penedès – this region of southern Catalonia is second only to the Rioja region of Spain for wine production. It is actually one of the most ancient viticulture regions of Europe! In this area, Spanish Xarello and Macabeo makeup the majority of the local [white] grapes.

Wikipedia

The parking spot we find is next to Blancher estates, so we make this our next stop. This tasting room is inside an old barn and there are several other people roaming the shop and standing at the tasting counter. They have a small museum displaying the history of the cellar. The museum includes caps and bottles from the various wines Blancher has produced over the years. They also have out-dated wine production equipment on display. It’s definitely worth the five minute wander if you find yourself here. You’ll pay €2 for a pour from any bottle as they don’t do flights. We get a couple samples to share here as we observe a tour bus coming in for a tour.

We depart Blancher and wander down the street in search of our next destination. It’s important to note, when planning your day/weekend of wine exploration in Sant Sadurni, that some of the wineries require a reservation for a tasting. So be sure to do your research and plan ahead if there is a particular winery you are looking to visit. We walked into a couple tasting rooms that turned us away because we didn’t have a reservation, ie. they take it very seriously.

Sant Sadurni Walkabout

As we wander the narrow, brick laden streets of this quaint European town, we take pause in one of the little cafes just before everything closes down for ‘siesta’. We share a ‘cafe con leche’ and jump back on our path in search of more Cava. The next cellar we find ourselves at is Montesquius, a large brick building that is surprisingly quiet. A grand contrast from the small, ‘mom and pop’ vibe cellar directly across the street – Fonpinet. Both of these wine tastings were free (which included three samples at Montesquius and a full pour with a side of potato chips at Fonpinet).

Fil-loxera – or Phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) is a well known grape vine pest in this neck of the woods. It’s ‘popularity’ is unfortunately due to an incident in the 19th century where the pests destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe! Ultimately, the hybridization of vines would be the end to this ‘plague’ . Every September 8th, the locals celebrate the demise of the louse with a grand celebration involving fireworks, music and re-enactments. Festa de la Fil-loxera.

But First, Chocolate

Before making our way to Barcelona to check into our ‘home away from home’ for the next week, we decide to make a stop at Simon Coll Xocolaters (the local chocolatier). They offer tours of their production facility and a trip through the history of chocolate. We opt to tour the gift shop only. They offer a wide variety of chocolate shapes and flavours, but they are mostly known for their ‘Taps al Marc de Cava’ which incorporates chocolate and cava into one delightful ‘amuse bouche’. This is where we stock up on souvenirs and Christmas presents.

Having walked off our sample ‘buzz’, we make our way back to the car and head towards the big city. Barcelona is a short 40 minute drive east. Stay tuned for our next post highlighting the best sights and things to do in Barcelona.

Have you ever tried Cava wine from the Sant Sadurni /Penedès region?