Grape Escape to Northeast Spain

Tour not offered in 2008 ~ Available for Custom Tours

ITINERARY

Day 1
Arrive at the airport and transfer to a lovely hotel in the historic center of Barcelona.
Relax at the hotel or explore the local neighborhood. We'll enjoy a gourmet dinner tonight at a Catalonian restaurant near the hotel.

Day 2
Today we have a guided walking tour of the old town, or Gothic quarter which contains the cathedral - one of Spain's most outstanding buildings, the Royal Palace where Columbus was received by Ferdinand and Isabella after his discovery of the New World, the district of Ribera - a remarkable concentration of 14th century mansions some of which house the Picasso museum and much more. Stop for lunch at a special restaurant. Food and wine highlights include the Mercat de la Boquería - a bustling and colorful covered food market; a specialist wine and spirit shop where you can chat with the friendly and enthusiastic staff about some of the 3,500 bottles that line the shop's walls; one of the most aromatic and picturesque shops in Barcelona, bursting with spices, saffron, chocolates and nuts; and one of our favorite gourmet food shops selling excellent cheeses, hams, pâtés and homemade sobrassadas (pork pâté with paprika).

We leave the city to transfer to an elegant hotel in the Penedès wine region between the Mediterranean sea and the mountains of Montserrat. We enjoy a cooking class before a wonderful gourmet dinner.

Day 3
In the morning we visit to the Abadal winery. El Bages has been a land of wines since time immemorial. In recognition of a land that was particularly suitable to the cultivation of the vine, early settlers baptised the area El Bages, in homage to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.
From the time of these early settlers and the Greeks and Romans who followed, a long tradition of working the vines continued through the centuries until 1890, when the vines were completely wiped out by the phylloxera plague. This age-old winemaking tradition has now been recovered by the new masters of the land, and the Pla de Bages is once again generously populated with vineyards that stretch across a gently undulating, sunlit landscape. The efforts and successes of many generations of vine-growers have finally been acknowledged by the recent conferring of the D.O. - Denominación de Origen Pla de Bages

Lunch is followed by an afternoon visit to the serrated mountain of Montserrat and monastery. Montserrat is a rich, multi-dimensional site, a veritable phenomenon: a religious centre, a repository of important artistic heritage and a unique natural beauty spot. Tonight we enjoy another gourmet dinner at our hotel.

Day 4
Tarragona was first occupied by the Romans, who called it Tarraco, in 218 BC. In 27 BC Augustus made it capital of his new Tarraconensis province and stayed there until 25 BC. Tarragona was abandoned when the Muslims arrived in 714 AD, but reborn as the seat of a Christian archbishopric in 1089. Today, with some 111,000 people it is mainly a modern city, but its rich Roman remains and fine medieval cathedral make it an absorbing place to visit. Walking tour of Tarragona to include visits to the Cathedral, the History Museum, the Museum Romanitat (includes part of the vaults of the Roman circus, where chariot races were held) and the Amfiteatre.

Lunch is followed by a visit to the Monastery of Santa Creus. Some of the outstanding features of the site are the Chapterhouse, the Scriptorium, the large monks' dormitory and the 14th century Gothic cloister. The 12th century church contains the tombs of King Peter the Great and of James II and his wife, Blanca of Anjou, as well as Cistercian and Gothic stained - glass windows and a Baroque altarpiece.

Tonight we stay in a lovely hotel in the seaside town of Altafulla on the Costa Dorada (Golden Coast).

Day 5
After breakfast we travel to the Appellation region of Conca de Barberà and visit the medieval town of Montblanc. The ancient walls are astonishingly well preserved, enclose 75% of the town and look as though they have come from the film set of El Cid! We will have ample time to discover the squares, churches, museums and palaces. Josep, Julieta and Ricard - three generations of the Foraster family will later welcome us to their winery. Only 50,000 bottles of wine are produced at Mas Foraster so expect something very special during the wine tasting. Barbecue lunch in the winery. Next it's a short hop to Poblet and visit of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet - well known for the burial place of the Catalonian - Aragon Royal Dynasty. We return to Altafulla for dinner.

Day 6
Today we visit Zaragoza, one of the great monumental towns in Spain. It was founded about 2000 years ago and Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians all left their heritage. Zaragoza boasts many important buildings of Spanish baroque style. Our walking tour includes visits to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar and the Plaza del Pilar.

In the afternoon we drive to the Rioja Alavesa wine producing region. Our hotel for the next four nights is in the charming historic town of Laguardia. From our hotel we can explore medieval Laguardia and take in the panoramic views from this Tuscan like hilltop village.

Day 7
We take a morning walk to a wonderful winery in Laguardia. This winery produces exquisite and scented Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva and Reserva Especial wines using the tempranillo and mazuelo grape varieties. The winery also houses an interesting private collection of Black African Art. In the afternoon we visit the Dinastía Vivanco Wine Museum. During the visit you will see ancient serving vessels, tools for harvesting, wine presses and a multitude of vineyard management tools. We return to Laguardia to explore or relax before dinner.

Day 8
Today we enjoy an excursion to the northern coast to visit Frank Gehry's groundbreaking Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, The Guggenheim (Called "El Guggen" by the locals) is an extraordinary combination of interconnecting Titanium waves. Eleven thousand square meters of exhibition space are distributed in 19 galleries. It is a spectacular backdrop against the old town. After visiting the museum we move on to the Guggenheim's voguish restaurant for Creative Basque cuisine. The afternoon is free for shopping and/or sightseeing.

Day 9
Today's excursion is to the wonderful aristocratic seaside town of San Sebastian, Spain's "Gourmet Mecca". We enjoy a walking tour of the old town and the beaches. Lunch will be a "Tapas Tour", a fantastic way to "taste" San Sebastian. Your guide will weave you in and out of the best tapas bars in the old quarter, sipping wine along the way. We return to Laguardia at the end of the day.

Day 10
This morning we visit Burgos, famous for its great Gothic cathedral. The massive church entirely dominates the elegant old town centre, and houses here are characterised by the glassed-in balconies or gallerias. Like so many Castilian towns, Burgos started life as a strategic fortress - in 884. Centuries later Burgos was thriving as a way station on the Camino de Santiago and as a trading centre between the interior and the northern ports. Franco made Burgos his capital during the civil war, and the industrial development he encouraged here in the 50s and 60s brought prosperity to the city. In the afternoon we drive to Pamplona, capital of Navarra, known for the running of the bulls during its famous July festival. We spend the night in a hotel in the center of town, where we are free to explore the ancient streets and many shops.

Day 11
Southbound we will journey to the Catalonian Appellation region of Costers del Segre. Lunch will followed by a leisurely guided tour of historical Verdù. Verdu is a small town but has many interesting things to see and do. During our stay in Verdu we will learn about the past and present of the ceramic industry and see how the experts make their works of art. We'll have time to explore the XII century castle, the Santa Maria Church dating back to Roman times and Plaza Mayor. We arrive at our five star Spa Hotel in time to relax before dinner. A climatised dynamic pool, Jacuzzi, and an outdoor swimming pool will be at our disposal. Also available are Vichy, Ciclonica and Kneipp showers as well as shiatsu, mud baths, massages and drainages, beauty treatments and wine baths.

Day 12
Although grapes have been grown in the Appellation region of Costers del Segre for eons, it was the work of the visionary, Manuel Raventós, who established the region, and his property Raimat, as one of Spain's best known.

Raventós, owning one third of all grapes and most of the best wine produced in Costers del Segre, was responsible for this relatively small area of grapes (3,700 ha) becoming an Appellation. Centered around the city of Leida, the Appellation has the Raimat sub-zone only 15 km to the west and three sub-zones east of Lleida. Valls de Ríu Corb and Les Garrigues are neighbors, while Artesa stands alone in the north. While much of the grape harvest in this region is sold to the three mass producers of the Penedès, there are at least two excellent wine producers in each of the sub-regions.

The Castell del Remei estate was originally built as a colony for some 50 families back in 1760. Today we are able to appreciate the castle, sanctuary, the olive oil mill, the flour mill, the distillery and the winery itself - a beautiful stone walled building. The same winery also has vineyards and a smaller winery close to the Priorat region. The estate, 270 metres above sea level has just 80 hectares (of its 400) dedicated to vines and grows mainly Tempranillo and some Garnacha. Our wine tasting will include the following wines: 1780 made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Garnacha (12 months in American oak barrels), ODA made with a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo (12 months in American oak barrels), Gotim Bru made with the same varieties as in ODA but with 10 months aging in American oak barrels and ODA Blanc made with a blend of Chardonnay and Macabeo (aged in American and Hungarian oak barrels) From the Celler de Cantonella estate (700 - 750 metres) close to the Priorat we will taste Cérvoles made with a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Merlot (aged in Allier oak barrels for 12 months), Cérvoles Selection made with a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha (aged in Allier oak barrels for 18 months).

In the afternoon we visit the Monastery of Valbona and then return to our hotel for our farewell dinner.

Day 13
After breakfast we drive to the Barcelona airport for the return flight.