Wine & Gastronomy in Spain

  The Bodegas de Scala Dei (Bodegas de Scala Dei) occupy buildings that formerly housed the administrator of the monastery, a kind of mediator between the faithful and the farmers. Some of these structures date back to the 17th century, with stone walls more than a meter thick. The Bodegas de Scala Dei (Bodegas de Scala Dei) occupy buildings that formerly housed the administrator of the monastery, a kind of mediator between the faithful and the farmers. Some of these structures date back to the 17th century, with stone walls more than a meter thick. The roots of the modern winery date back to the nineteenth century, to the laws of confiscation of the Mendizabal church lands, when the current owners bought the monastery lands, settled here and began to produce wine. The Scala Dei winery The Scala Dei winery has survived since then, undergoing some changes to adapt to each era, such as the conversion from OAO, which took place in 1974. It was then that they became one of the pioneers...

  The Emporda region in Catalonia (Spain) is a territory where winemaking has been developing for a very long time. Emporda: аbout location The location of this region is absolutely exceptional. It is located between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea and this is the place, where the strong Tramontana wind blows, reaching 120 km/h. The taste of the grapes here is, therefore, very special and the wine is amazing and incorporates the wind freshness, the sea flavour, and the experience of antiquity...  Historic heritage. Emporda is a DO-marked wine region in Catalonia. Local wines have been awarded the quality mark for a long time. Greeks grew grapes for wine Then the Romans came to this land and the local wine was sent directly to the emperor’s table. Features of the Emporda region. This region is different in that it has 4 different types of soil, each provides grapes and wine with own special quality. Gresa is a soil formed with sand and meteorite granite. It brings elegan...

Visiting Spain's wine regions is a dream for every wine lover. Stunningly exquisite vineyards, warm and sunny weather, charming mountain slopes, and good food - all this awaits you Spain. More precisely, in Catalonia, a vibrant wine region. Although the Catalan grape harvest is not always as good as that of its neighbor France, Spanish vineyards have been famous for their wine tastings since the 19th century, right after only regional producers mastered the art. At the same time, the production of the now world-famous Cava wines began thanks to the Catalan Don José Reventos, owner of the Codornio winery. In the early 1870s he successfully invented a method of production of sparkling wines, imitating the French Champagne. "Codornio remains one of the most famous and popular wineries in Spain, but in fact there are many more companies around Barcelona. Various vineyard and cellar tours are organized where you can taste all the famous wines in tastings. Reds, whites, sparkling: w...

Penedes is one of the most famous wine-producing regions of Spain and Catalonia. Its world fame is due to the production of cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made according to the traditional Champagne method. Nowadays there are several hundreds of cava producing wineries in Penedes. Some of them are giants, such as the Fresenet and Codornio wineries, world leaders in the production of sparkling wines. But our wine tours go to small, family-owned wineries where the emphasis is on quality, not quantity. Visiting such traditional family wineries is a unique experience: you will walk around the winery in the company of the owner, who will show you the innermost corners of it, explain in detail all the secrets of the winemaking process, and at the end, of course, offer to taste his products. A couple of hours at the winery will help you not only learn all the nuances of cava production, but also get a feel for the way of life of the winemakers, who will welcome you as old friends. We will fin...

Obviously, this is not the only, but the main activity of an oenotourist. Once you start, you realize that no matter how many places you visit, each new winery will surprise you again, because no two wineries are the same, and no two wines are the same. Taste, aftertaste, color, aroma and other characteristics of a wine depend on two factors: the mode of production and the terroir (environmental factors in which the grapes grow: climate, topography, etc.). The first factor is determined by man, the second: by nature itself. For example, in the Priorat region the vineyards are located on slopes that are difficult to access, making them difficult to cultivate. Galicia is characterized by many small plots, each with a small winery. At the same time, the size of the vineyards in La Mancha is amazing… Living in bodega hotels (you already know what that is, don't you?) It is undoubtedly an unforgettable experience! You are fully immersed in the unique atmosphere of the world of winemakin...

A cava is nothing other than a quality sparkling wine produced according to traditional (i.e. "champagne") technology in a particular region of Spain.  Since 1986, a decree has been in force, according to which the Cava region includes 159 districts of Spain, the vast majority of which are in the territory of Catalonia. If we take into account that the first experiments in production of Spanish sparkling wines also started in Catalonia: Cava drink may be reasonably called 'catalan', which I will, with your permission, do hereafter. The capital of Cava is the Catalan wine-producing town of Sant Sadurni de Anoia, not far from Barcelona.  Cava production "monsters" such as Codorniu, Freixenet, and many others have settled here. Not far away, in Vilafranca del Penedes, is the D.O. Cava Regulatory Council, in operation since 1991, which oversees Cava production throughout Spain.  By the way, many of us are absolutely sure that the biggest producer of sparkling wi...