Spanish Culinary, Wine & Cultural Tours
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Wine Tours
Wine Tour on the Border of Spain & France
Itinerary | Features | Prices | Travel Options
Highlights of your unforgettable visit include:
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Accommodations in a 5-star luxury hotel in the Spanish countryside and in a 5-star luxury wine spa, picturesquely situated at the foot of the Montserrat Mountains
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Multiple visits to exceptional French and Spanish wineries including tours of cellars and vineyards by the vineyard owners, and complete with wine tastings
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Gourmet cooking lesson with Spanish chef and 3-course meal paired with wine
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Guided tours of both French and Spanish castles, and a charming medieval French seaside town
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Fine dining for both lunch and dinner consisting of local products paired with extraordinary wines
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Elegant dinners at the wine spa hotel
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Your tour begins with airport collection by Chauffeur in a luxury vehicle, who will then drive you to your 5-star luxury hotel in Perelada, a town famous for its castle and vineyards. You will have time to settle in and explore the beautiful area surrounding the hotel and unwind after your journey. A light dinner can be served at the classic style hotel restaurant if you so wish.
After a lavish breakfast at your hotel, your day starts with a visit through Peralada's rich wine making history, dating back to the 14th century. A wine expert will describe the unique factors of Catalan geography contributing to the development of these wines. The Gran Claustre cava or Grand Cloister cava, which is the finest cava available at this vineyard, is a cava that is still fermented with the same process and in the same location in which the Carmelite monks of the 14th century used to prepare it at their monastery. You will see both an ancient wine press and the current wine and cava making facilities, in Peralada's 13th century castle. Following which you will have an opportunity to taste a variety of cavas, white and red wines.
You will now leave for an authentic Spanish meal married with the best local wines, following a private cooking lesson provided by a Catalan chef in his cooking school. You will have the opportunity to participate in the chef’s preparations or, if you prefer, you can sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy his cooking from aperitif to dessert. Our chef appears frequently on local TV and has a charming personality, so feel free to ask him everything you would like to know about the Spanish cuisine. Our guide will assist you during the class, to make sure nothing is lost in translation!
Following lunch, we will see Dali's museum in Figueres. The great artist personally oversaw its reconstruction and renovation and is home to some of his greatest surrealistic works. The north wind that blows through this town typically has greater amounts of oxygen in it and is called “tramuntana.” After visiting Dali’s museum, you will have to decide for yourself if the “tramuntana” brings out the “creativity” in its recipients!
Today, after breakfast, you will embark on a day trip into the vineyards of Southern France. On a picturesque drive through vineyards with views of the sea, you will make your way to the neighboring French town of Banyuls, famous for its natural sweet wines. The Grenache and Carignan vintages take advantage of an exceptional climate, with a lot of sun and a strong wind called tramuntana, which gives the wine a unique character and a surprisingly savory bouquet. Midway through your drive, you will visit a small cellar owned by the descendants of well-known French sculptor, Aristide Maillot, who will personally show you the vineyards and share the history of the region. After a mid-morning stroll, you will sample the best of the wines you have seen as grapes on the vines. Next, we will continue to the oldest and most prestigious cellars in the area, with some family owned vineyards dating back to 1639. After several tastings, we will leave for the coastal town of Colliure, a beautiful French Mediterranean town that will welcome you to its picturesque views, happily situated stone homes and its majestic castle. You will stroll the same streets trodden by the painters and bohemian artists who have taken refuge in this lovely seaside town. Lunch may be enjoyed at a restaurant famous for its traditional fine French dining, and notably its fish dishes. After a delightful meal and an easy walk to explore the castle above, still more of the town awaits discovery prior to your return to Spain!
This morning you will check out of your hotel and with your guide/driver leading today´s adventure, will move on to the most well known cava cellar in the world — Codorniu. The modernist style cellar was designed by famous architect Puig i Cadafalch. Here you will encounter subterranean galleries more than 18 miles (30 KM) long where the cavas undergo the second fermentation. You will have the opportunity to try the best of these cavas, made from the primary white grape varieties: Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada and Chardonnay. After trying these cavas, you will have lunch at a local restaurant that pairs all of their dishes with wines to further celebrate both the local food and wines of the region.
You will continue your day with an unforgettable visit to an exceptional Vineyard, owned by one family since 1790 and situated in the heart of the Penedés wine region. A bilingual in-house expert will take you on a private tour of the vineyards, which have been ecologically cultivated for more than 300 years. It is no wonder their wines have been officially certified as “ecological-organic” since 2004. You will be amazed at how the "intervention" of bees, sheep, and lunar phases can help create outstanding wines. The grapes in this vineyard are all hand picked to ensure harvest at the ideal time for each vine. Back at the cellar, the in-house oenologist will show you the entire wine making process and finally guide you through your complete tasting of an array of ecological and organic varieties of wines and cavas. Additionally, the vineyard owners make their own olive oil, and they will gladly explain to you the process and properties of this "liquid gold" and will invite you for a tasting, accompanied by local sausages, bread and cheese.
This evening you will transfer to a luxurious 5-star wine spa just outside of Barcelona in the Penedés region lying at the foot of the Montserrat Mountains. The wine spa, a former villa residence dating back to the 16th century, provides an exceptional combination of modern luxurious accommodations, splendid natural beauty from the surrounding mountains and vineyards, and pampering treatments, to make for an unforgettable stay. Tonight’s informal dinner could be in one of the wine spa's dining rooms, located above an old cellar from the days of the villa. The night provides the opportunity to get acquainted with this little slice of heaven.
After breakfast, you will be ready to explore the Priorat vineyards. The Priorat region is famous for its mineral-rich soil, slate (called licorella by the locals), which creates a unique humidity for the vines. This soil and the little rain that comes while the grapes are maturing results in full ripeness of the grape. This creates a wine with high graduation that has more than 14% alcohol content. The particular family-owned wine cellar you will visit this morning in the Priorat region, was awarded one of Robert Parker’s highest ratings and he regards it as one of his favorite vineyards. Perhaps this will be one of your favorites too after seeing at first hand the starting point for world class wine. Your gracious hosts at the vineyard and cellars also own a small restaurant in the heart of the nearby village. This is where you will round off your visit with delicious local cuisine paired with your newly discovered favorite Spanish wines.
Awaiting you after lunch is a vineyard, which has more than a 1,000-year wine making tradition dating back to the Carthusian monks! This site, situated at the foot of the Montsant mountain range, is where the Priorat region’s winemaking tradition originated. Relax and enjoy sipping one of the slow fermented and long matured fine wines in the scenic countryside village. This afternoon you can take a walk in the vineyards and foothills, or relax with one of the many spa treatments at your hotel. Dinner this evening, if you so wish, could be in the wine spa’s elegant dining room located in the main building of the 16th century villa and paired with wines from the very well stocked cellar. Relax and enjoy yourself on the final evening of your wine getaway.
Your tour concludes with a lovely breakfast at the wine spa hotel, followed by a chauffeured transfer to Barcelona for your departure.
We hope you join us for this unforgettable experience!
Your Wine Tour on the Border of Spain & France includes:top
- English speaking expert culinary guide/chauffeur at your entire disposal
- All transfers
- Accommodations for 3 nights in a 5-star luxury hotel in the Spanish countryside
- Accommodations for 2 nights in a 5-star luxury wine spa (double occupancy)
- 5 full breakfasts
- All the culinary, cultural visits and tastings indicated in the itinerary
- 2 lunches including wine in local restaurants
- 1 private cooking class followed by meal
- Online Personal Travel Webpage including daily itinerary, general local information, details of places of interest, suggestions for restaurant reservations, and your free time, etc.
- Customized Travel Journal, including the information from your Personal Travel Webpage, which you can take with you to use as a reference throughout your tour
- Travel Insurance
Your Wine Tour on the Border of Spain & France does not include:
- Flights
- Meals and Drinks not Specified
- Personal Expenses such as Telephone, Minibar, etc
- Tips and Gratuities (Restaurants, etc)
- Cancellation Insurance
Wine Tour on the Border of Spain & France dates:
Available upon request all year round.
Wine Tour on the Border of Spain & France Prices:
The tour price varies depending on the Travel Option you choose. Please click on the option which suits you best in order to request a quotation.
In order to find out more about Gourmand Breaks' Travel Options, please Click Here
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