Cava country. A must on my list of things to do in Barcelona.
I had done my homework and kept coming back to this same winery, Artcava.
It might have been that I immediately fell l in love with Eric’s (the CEO) job title: Head of Visitor’s Happiness.
Now there was one hiccup, for the actual Cava Experience, there needed to be 2 or more people and I was traveling on my own.
So, after much begging for them to add me to another group during the time I was there, these amazing owners said, “If you’re willing to pay for 2 which means you bring 2 bottles of cava home with you, we’ll be happy to do this tour with you.”
Ummmm, twist my arm.
So, off I went to the train station which took way longer to get to than the hotel front desk person told me…and then add in the fact that I had no clue which kiosk to go to.
End result…I missed the train I was supposed to be on.
But the best part, these guys at Artcava don’t even care about time….see….Who cares about time? At Artcava there is never any rush. Visits and workshops take as long as they need. We can never give you a precise time of when you will leave. (and it helps that I was the only person for the tour that day.)
So, I am greeted at the train station by Ramon and off we go to take in the views.
But not before some excitement. As we were driving down the road, a horse got away from its rider and was hauling down the street. Not to worry, Ramon assured me this was not the norm.
First stop….take in the site of the city from the highest point. Here Ramon explained the weather, altitude, age, etc.
Next we went to the thousand year old farmhouse and started with a tour of it. WOW! I could have spent all day there. This is one of the few times I wished I had a group of people with me so I could enjoy an authentic meal cooked by Ramon himself.
Now, on to the tasting. The tasting is their 3 caves Palago (and I even got a bonus when it was all done!)
But pay special attention to the one you like the best. My absolute hands down favorite part came after the tasting.
It was a perfect sunny day sitting out in the yard while Ramon would bring me the next cava to taste. We spent time discussing the aromas I was smelling compared to what Ramon was smelling and the fruits that I was tasting compared to what Ramon was tasting.
I found this particularly interesting as Ramon pointed out that it’s simply because we each eat, enjoy and are exposed to different fruits. Something I had never ever thought of.
Ok, now on to the best part….and be sure to book this in particular.
It was time for me to disgorge a bottle of Cava. It was off to the elaboration room. Here, I learned all about the final process to make this bottle of bubbly complete.
And then, with my own hands in a totally manual way I disgorged my own bottle, put in the cork and and put on the label. And I bet you’ll be shocked to find out what I named my bottle!
This ABSOLUTELY made this cava experience complete.
And I’m happy to report that both bottles (along with 12 others a bit later) made their way safely back to the states.
When in Barcelona, definitely put this little excursion on the top of your To Do List.
In fact, I’m planning my return and making sure I have a real photographer with me and friends to definitely turn this experience into an all day affair!
