In August and September there are increasing and varied wine tourism activities throughout the Catalan geography. They are organized from grape harvest festivals -where there is no shortage of foot-stomping the grapes or solidarity initiatives- to stargazing with wine tasting or the pairing of cinema, heritage or music with wines and gastronomy. In the Empordà, on board a small boat while sailing along the Costa Brava, you can taste wines. In addition, archaeologists and local guides from Glops d'Història explain to the participants the wine culture in the area. And the Martín Faixó winery offers the opportunity to stay among the vines and live the experience of watching the sunrise from the sea, aboard a boat that sails through the Cap de Creus. Then, upon returning to land through the bay of Cadaqués, breakfast is offered at the Sa Perafita farmhouse. And a guided tour of the winery and a tasting of Martín Faixó wines are added.
The Divendres DiVins arrive at the cooperative winery in Pinell de Brai (Terra Alta) on August 11. This year the cycle is dedicated to the architect Cèsar Martinell, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death. The modernist building that houses the winery, listed as one of the Cathedrals of Wine, is the work of Martinell himself, and will be the setting for the 8th edition of this cultural cycle that combines heritage, music and wine. In this edition, the group in charge of entertaining the afternoon will be the contemporary jazz trio Triangle. The appointment will be at 7:30 p.m., and attendees will be able to visit the winery and enjoy the DO Terra Alta wines.
Also this Friday, August 11, the Jean Leon de Torrelavit winery (Alt Penedès) will offer a “magical” evening coinciding with the Perseids, the rain of stars popularly known as the tears of San Lorenzo, in an environment among the Penedès vineyards. This unique experience combines stargazing, music, wine, and gastronomy. The evening will begin at 7:45 p.m. with a welcome glass of Jean Leon Nativa wine, followed by a master class by astronomer Joan Anton Català, from the Observatori Fabra in Barcelona. Attendees will be able to observe the rain of stars and the constellations with a telescope, and also enjoy an outdoor dinner under the starry sky, prepared by the Jardí Restaurant El Celleret and accompanied with wines from the winery. On August 12, the gastronomy of the Devgvsta restaurant, live music from the Petit Taller de Cançons and wine at the Cellers Avgvstvs Forvm winery in Sant Vicenç de Calders (El Vendrell) will be paired at a dinner. On the afternoon of Monday, August 14, there will be a visit to the Les Vinyes winery of the Convent de Horta de Sant Joan (Terra Alta), the presentation of the book Si yo me recuerdo by the writer and journalist from La Vanguardia Víctor Amela and a tasting of the new wines from this DO Terra Alta winery paired with tapas.
And every Saturday in August they organize visits to works at the Vinseum de Vilafranca del Penedès wine culture museum. It is a plan to find out first-hand, and accompanied by a member of the museum's technical team, what the museum's museographic project is, how it is working and see how the work on the new building is progressing. Every week they discover new aspects. And for August 23, they organize a preparatory tasting for the Festival of the Alt Penedès capital where you can get to know some of the wines from the museum's Amics d'Honor wineries "that best pair with the festival of Sant Félix".
A first edition of the Mostra d'ancestrals del Priorat will be organized in Falset at 7 p.m. on Saturday 19 August. There will be sparkling wines from a dozen producers in the region -half of which will be released at this meeting organized by the Falset City Council-, tapas from El Cairat, Quinoa, Lo Petit Sommelier and Mas Trucafort and music in Bosquet del Tancat of the capital of the Priorat. And that same day in Torroja del Priorat, a total of 11 wineries will show their wines in the Font Vella of this town, in a new edition of the Night of Wines. For its part, from 7:30 p.m. on August 25, the Falset-Marcà Cooperative will host the first of the activities of the strategic collaboration agreement that this winery in the capital of the Priorat region has sealed with the Priorat Wine Cooperatives as well of Gratallops and Cooperativa de Cabacés. A tasting of two oils and six wines from the Priorat region will be offered in an initiative called 'Tasta 3 DO's' (the wines of the DO Qualified Priorat and the DO Montsant and the oils of the DOP Siurana).
And from August 26 to September 30, the eighth edition of the La Verema del Cava wine tourism festival, organized by the Aecava association, is expected. This year it will take place in 22 wineries associated with the employer's association every Saturday and Sunday. Each winery will offer original experiences, outdoors, both during the day and after sunset. Guided by the managers of the wineries, viticulturists or oenologists, visitors will be able to visit the vineyards to experience the harvest first-hand. The Cava Harvest will show the secrets of making cava with activities for all audiences and all tastes. You can harvest the grapes and crush them to turn them into must, enjoy peasant breakfasts among the vineyards, gourmet picnics, nature outings with bicycles, live music concerts, yoga in wineries, lunches and dinners in the vineyards, take walks, cooking courses with the grape as the star ingredient, wine tasting at different times of wine fermentation, as well as activities for the youngest members of the family. This year the record number of participants has been broken with 22 wineries: Agustí Torelló Mata, Alta Alella, Canals
And the wineries of the Penedès Wine Route welcome the harvest season by offering picnics and gastronomic experiences in the wineries with the fourth edition of the Festa de la Verema in the Penedès. The initiative, led by the Penedès Tourism Promotion Consortium, has been extended this year to the entire month of September, from the 1st to the 30th. The gastronomic offer, such as picnics
of the harvest, fork breakfasts, meals and snacks among the vineyards are added to activities such as the family harvest, workshops, routes between the vineyards and grape treading and must tastings. Celler Eudald Massana Noya, Cava Guilera, Can Suriol del Castell de Grabuach, Sumarroca, Giró Ribot, Jané Santacana, Caves Bolet, Segura Viudas, Celler Família Torres, Albet i Noya, Canals have joined the party
For its part, Família Torres prepares a weekend with experiences dedicated to the grape harvest to live it firsthand. It will be on September 2 and 3 at the Mas La Plana farm, in Pacs del Penedès. The proposal includes three wine tourism experiences that immerse visitors in the world of wine, from the moment of the harvest to the wine tasting. On September 18 there will be a restaurateurs' dinner -this year more gastronomic-, special tastings and the blind wine competition at the Oller del Mas winery in Manresa, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
On the 26th and 27th of August the Festa de la Verema de la DO Empordà will be held, which this year will stop at Palau-saverdera (Alt Empordà). There will be a pressing of grapes by children, musical performances, open doors in wineries, a dry stone route or wine tasting. In addition, the La Vinyeta, Celler Brugarol and Empordàlia wineries organize popular vintages. In Torelló (Gelida) a special grape harvest will take place at dawn on Saturday, September 2, as part of the Verema Solidària. It will be a harvest as it is done during real working hours, to avoid the heat and the risks that it entails. That is, from sunrise to something past noon. In addition, it will coincide with the full moon, which will allow "living the magical moment of seeing how the moon hides before the sun rises, with the mountains of Montserrat in the background." From September 7 to 15 it will be the turn of the 49th edition of the Festa de la Verema de Alella. There will be wine tastings, pairings with tapas, visits, exhibitions and Vinema (which harmonizes wine, cinema and gastronomy).
On September 28, the second edition of the Nit de Verema of the association of sparkling wine producers from Penedès Corpinnat will take place in the gardens of the Llopart winery (Subirats). It will be a dinner-cocktail during which more than thirty of its sparkling wines can be tasted. And from September 30 to October 1, the Festa de la Verema del Bages will be held in Artés, which is in its 28th edition. Demonstrations of ancient trades, street performances or open doors in the cellars will be added to the wine tastings. On September 29 and 30 and October 1, the Sitges City Council and Foment organize the 62nd edition of its Festa de la Verema. There will be a sample of wines with a local accent, a proclamation, the pressing of the first must, the 44th grape-stomping competition, the pesado de la pubilla and the hereu of this Garraf town with its equivalent in wine or the inauguration of the wine fountain. And from October 6 to 8, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia will host the 26th edition of the Cavatast cava and gastronomy exhibition.
