Gastronomy and wine tourism

Cava is a world-famous sparkling wine that no important meal or celebration can be without. It’s part of our everyday life, a fixture of the dining table. As children we wonder whether those bubbles we aren’t allowed to taste will tickle our mouths. But have you ever wondered how and why cava began to be produced in the Penedès area? The story takes us to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, covering dramatic events of the 19^th-century history when phylloxera wiped out 90% of Europe’s vineyards...

The grape harvest has always been a festive event. Since ancient times, grape harvesting has been conceived as a ritual, either because of its Mediterranean roots or because of the camaraderie generated among teams of grape pickers. Although the process is mostly mechanised nowadays, picking grapes from the vine is still a reason for celebration, and there are many towns and cities in the regions of Barcelona that organise harvest festivals where everyone is welcome. So get your diary out!

Barcelona is the land of wines. More than 2,500 years ago, the Romans and Iberians cultivated vines to produce the favourite drink of the gods, a drink that has shaped the landscape and culture of the regions of Barcelona. Just a stone’s throw from the city, you can enjoy three DO (Designation of Origin) wine areas that offer such a wide range of activities and experiences that you’ll want to keep coming back to try them all.

There are so many things to do in the five wine and cava designations of origin in the Barcelona region: learn to distinguish between a young wine and an aged wine, participate in the daily tasks of a winery, discover the different grape varieties, spend a night on a wine estate, etc. And if you like walking, you can also follow any of the many signposted itineraries that take you among vineyards. Can you think of a better way to spend a weekend?

Set between the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range and the Mediterranean coast, the DO (Designation of Origin) Penedès is an outstanding winegrowing area with the largest production yield in Catalonia. The quality of the soil, the sun exposure and the sea breeze go a long way to explaining the success of wines and cavas capable of surprising even the most demanding of palates. The region also has the largest number of wineries, along with a wide-ranging wine tourism offering that you can also enjoy with the family.

A la província de Barcelona, cada pedalada invita a descobrir un paisatge nou, i cada parada és una excusa per tastar el territori. El cicloturisme permet viatjar a poc a poc, i gaudir del territori amb els cinc sentits. Hi ha rutes per a tots els nivells, des del ciclista de carretera que busca ports exigents fins a la família que vol pedalar tranquil·la entre vinyes. I, al final de cada etapa, sempre hi h una taula esperant: cellers centenaris i petits productors, formatgeries artesanes, fleques de llenya, microcerveseries i mercats de proximitat conviden a seure i assaborir allò que s'ha vist créixer pel camí. Comarca per comarca, et proposem un mapa per fer possible aquest viatge gastronòmic sobre rodes.