Yesterday, Saturday, October 4, we squeezed in visits to four wineries south of Barcelona in the Priorat region. It was a busy day but we had a great time and learned more about Catalonian wines. Many thanks to Anthony Swift of Wine Pleasures who planned our schedule and was also our driver.

Maria at Sangenis I Vaqué talks about the barrel room.

Our first stop was in a quaint village of Porrera where Sangenis I Vaqué, a family owned and operated winery, is located. We were early for our first winery visit so we stopped at a shop for tea not far from the winery. At the winery, we met Maria Sangenîs i Vaqué who led the tour. During the tour, grapes were undergoing de-stemming and fermentation in underground tanks. After the tour several chairs were set up around two barrels to taste the six wines the winery currently has available. Today the winery produces 25,000 bottles of wine.

After the wine tastings we left immediately for our next appointment at Mas de l’Abundància in El Masroig in the Montsant DO. We met the owner, Jesus del Rio Mateu and Olga Penu Guiu who led us on a tour of the property, vineyards and bodega. Jesus is enthusiastic about the Catalonian history in this area. Our tour began with a visit to a very old church and a description of the history of the country. Built in pre-Christian times by the Romans, the church now has a statue of Mary. Viewing the countryside from this summit, you immediately recognize the peacefulness of the area. Jesus prepared a typical Catalonian lunch of chicken and fruits over rice. It was delicious.

Chicken, fruit and rice for lunch.
A reflection of a hand in fermenting juice

Our third wine tasting took place at Clos Figueras in Gratallops. Christopher Cannan established the winery in the 1997. The winery has 18 hectares of grapes that include Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, and Chenin Blanc. One of the unique notes on this winery is that the cellar is in an old cistern with old stone walls.

Our final winery also in Gratallops was Celler Devinssi. The Cellar Devinssi offers special wine tastings available outside of a small building in the vineyard. We traveled through the vineyards and stopped near the summer. Walking past of row of head pruned old vines, we enjoyed wonderful views of the countryside with the village Gratallops in the distance. Our wine tasting took place in the vineyards, a gentle reminder that wine has its birth in the vineyards. These special tastings should be arranged in advance.

Gratallops in the distance from vineyards

We have had a remarkable tour today and will be posting articles with photos of the individual wineries/wines.

Today we are off to two more wineries.