Nº 04·Primavera 2026·Enoturismo del mundo hispano
Nº 01·Wine region·D.O. Penedès
Penedès is the most visitable wine region near Barcelona — about an hour by car or commuter train — and one of the most historically important in Catalonia. This is cava country (the appellation is now separate, but Sant Sadurní d'Anoia remains the heart), but also still wines worth the trip: aged xarel·lo whites, high-altitude garnacha reds, and projects like Torres' Mas La Plana that put the region on the international map back in the 1970s. Catalan gastronomy comes with the territory — calçots in season, escudella in winter, Mediterranean seafood year-round.
By Mateo Iriarte·Editor
Updated · May 3, 2026
Nº 01·Cities
PenedèsNº 01
Barcelona is better positioned for wine tourism than many tourists realize. The Penedès — a major appellation for still wines and the heart of cava — starts 35 km southwest and is reachable in about an hour by commuter train or car. Codorníu and Torres are within easy reach; smaller producers like Recaredo or Mas Bertran a bit further. And Priorat — which deserves its own trip rather than a day — sits two hours by car, ready when you want to scale the wine experience up.
PenedèsNº 02
Nº 02·Featured
Barcelona · PenedèsNº 01
Torres is the most internationally recognized Spanish wine family. Five generations, operations in California, Chile, and China, but the heart is still Vilafranca del Penedès. The visit combines an introductory audiovisual, a tour through the vineyard on a small train, and a tasting in the restored 19th-century cellar. You can add a meal at El Tast — their own restaurant — worth booking separately. A classic serious-enotourism stop in Catalonia, professionally run with no fluff.
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is the unquestioned capital of cava. Codorníu, Freixenet, Recaredo, Gramona, Llopart and dozens of others are based here — the highest concentration of traditional-method sparkling wine producers outside Champagne. The town itself isn't large (12,000 inhabitants) but the center is well-preserved, and you can reach it from Barcelona-Plaça Catalunya by commuter train in 50 minutes. For anyone serious about understanding cava, this is the stop.
Barcelona · PenedèsNº 02
Codorníu is the world's oldest cava producer (founded 1551) and the most spectacular winery visit in the Penedès. The modernist cellars, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch (the same architect behind Barcelona's Palau de la Música), are a national heritage site — 30 km of underground tunnels, with a small train ride underground included. Tasting comes at the end with three house cavas. It's touristy, yes, but the scale and architecture earn it.
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia · PenedèsNº 03
Freixenet is the other great cava house — the historic counterweight to Codorníu, also based in Sant Sadurní. Founded in 1861, its black Carta Nevada and Cordón Negro bottles are probably the most internationally recognized image of Spanish cava. The visit includes a small-train tour through the underground cellars (yes, another one), a walk through the bottling line, and a final tasting. It's touristy and efficient — not where you go for artisanal craft, but where you understand how Spanish cava industrialized at scale.
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia · PenedèsNº 04
Recaredo is probably the most respected sparkling wine producer in Catalonia among serious critics. Mata family, fourth generation, certified biodynamic, every vineyard worked entirely by hand (no tractors), manual disgorgement, no dosage. In 2019 they left D.O. Cava together with other historic producers to found Corpinnat — a more demanding seal. The visit is intimate, in small groups, with a tasting that includes long-aged Brut Nature and Turó d'en Mota (decades on lees). A masterclass.