Sparkling wine trip cava in and around Barcelona

If you go to one of the local tapas bars or restaurants in Barcelona, ​​you will almost certainly come across food will be offered i cava. What is this wine, what should you know about it and where to go for the best cava when you are in Barcelona for a few days? 

You can walk through the local vineyards or is to ride a bike during a day trip

Content of the article: What is actually cava? - History of wine cava - Map of wine regions - How to choose cava? - Varieties and tastes - Tips for buying - A tour of the vineyards combined with a tasting - Transport to the winery

Experiences, tours and wine tours from Barcelona:

• A visit to a winery combined with a wine tasting cava: Caves Codorníu winery, Caves Freixenet winery
• Cycling trip on an electric bike through the vineyards of the Penedès region
• Guided winery tour, tasting and transport from Barcelona in a Mercedes car (premium experience)

What is actually cava?

Cava is a sparkling wine originating from Spain, which over the years has been included in the list of the most popular drinks intended for export. 

Although it fizzes cava also produces in other regions, that's it just Catalonia, which is his cradle and likewise up to 95% of its total production is created here. 

The Penedès region has good natural conditions for growing vines

Like champagne, but much more affordable

The story of wine cava started writing as early as 1872 in the Catalan region of Penedès.

Local winemaker Josep Raventós from the Codorníu winery in the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia was inspired by the worldwide success of champagne wine and began experimenting with his own production on a similar technological basis. 

What is the production of sparkling cava specific? 

The specialty of cava and equally of sparkling wine from the Champagne region is the method of preparation, specifically above all multiple fermentation.

The first round and the preparation of the base will take place classically in the tank, but secondary fermentation and subsequent maturation takes place directly in the bottle, in which cava it travels to store shelves or restaurant tables. Compared to standard production, the production process is much longer and more demanding, but thanks to this, a much higher quality wine awaits you at the end.

After some time – and much trial and error – Raventós actually adapted the production process in such a way as to respect the local climatic conditions and use vines from the vineyards around Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. 

More than 150 years have passed since that moment, during which it became affordable cava by right it has become a drink that Catalans are justifiably proud of. 

Taste the sparkling wine cava in Barcelona

Not everyone wants or can travel for wine from Barcelona to the regions. During your stay in the city, you can book a tasting of local still and sparkling wines cava right in the center in the Di-Vi wine shop. 

More information + reservation >>>

Map: Barcelona areas where it is produced cava

To the south of Barcelona is the main cava region. Here you will also find the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, where cava was originally created, and home to the largest and most famous wineries such as Codoníu (1), Freixenet (2) and Gramona (3). You can visit all of them during their opening hours and enjoy a glass of well-chilled cava afterwards.

5 main areas between Barcelona and Tarragona, where it is produced cava: Valls d'Anoia Foix, Serra de Mar, Conca del Gaià, Serra de Prades and Pla de Ponent.

The most famous wineries and cava producers in Catalonia

In Catalonia, there are a number of large and small wineries focused specifically on the production of sparkling wine cava. The most famous and popular ones can be found in these cities:

• Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Quail, Freixenet, gramona)
• Vilafranca del Penedès (Mascaro, Celler de l'Arboç, Cavawith Olivella Galimany)
• Lleida (Raimat, Sauvella)
• Masquefa (Raventos Rosell)

How to choose the right wine type cava?

If you want to have a delicious cava but don't know which one to choose, I'll try to give you a short guide. 

The first thing you should look at is the amount of residual sugar. Sparkling wines are made accordingly cava divided into several categories. This chart will tell you more about them. 

Sparkling wine category cava according to the amount of sugar

The driest type of wine cava je brut de brut a raw nature, medium dry are needed brut a sec, sweeter (and great for desserts) is then cava type semi seco a candy.

When choosing cava, don't forget that the price is similar to any other sparkling wine: the drier the wine, the more you will pay for it. 

In addition to the category according to the amount of sugar on the label, you will also find information about the type of cava. This is an indication of the aging time of the given wine: 

• Cava de Guarda guarantees at least 9 months of maturation
• Reservation guarantees at least 18 months of maturation
• Gran Reserva guarantees at least 30 months of maturation
• Cava of Qualified Site guarantees an aging of at least 36 months

Get to know the typical varieties and their tastes

Another good guide guide you when choosing a wine cava can help is the type of grapes used to make it. They will determine in advance what taste you can expect from the wine. 

In the production of sparkling cava they are the three most commonly used varieties of white wine: 

1. Macabeo – pleasant freshness, floral aroma and taste of citrus fruits (lemons, grapefruits)
2. Xarel·lo – very intense taste, fuller body and richer texture thanks to distinctive fruits such as peaches or pears, often with some herbal touch
3. Parellada – a really fresh floral aroma and taste of delicate fruit (e.g. green apples or citrus), often also various nutty notes

In the case of sparkling rosé wines, the red varieties Trepat, Garnacha and Monastrell are used. 

Tips for tasting and buying sparkling wine cava

• in the restaurant don't hesitate to ask the staff, to recommend a specific type of wine cava depending on what you put with it
• you don't always have to buy the whole bottle, there is in Barcelona completely normal ordering of wine "by the glass"
• to bring out the best flavor of the wine, it is good to serve it well chilled, a temperature of 6-8 °C is usually recommended.
• if you want to be sure that the sparkling wine is real cava, look for the category label on the bottle (see above) and also black star with four arms on the top or bottom of the cork

Cava trip from Barcelona combined with a tour of vineyards, cellars and wine tasting

If you want to see where cava was created, there is nothing easier than going from Barcelona by train or bus for a day trip to the Penedès region. It was here that history was written (and today the future is being created here) connected with the production of sparkling wine cava. 

Cavas Freixenet belongs to one of the larger wineries producing traditional sparkling wine cava

A trip to one of the wineries is a great option to enjoy some to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city and enjoy the peace of the countryside. All this, of course, over a glass of one of the traditional sparkling wines, or you can taste the latest additions to the winemakers' menu, such as organic, bio or even vegetarian cava. 

A visit to a winery

All major wineries their gates are normally open for wine lovers during the classic opening hours. 

A clear recommendation if you want to taste the local wines is go to the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. It is considered to be "cava "centre" of Catalonia, you will find over 50 producers of still and sparkling wines here, and above all, the two largest wineries are based here: Codornía and Freixenet. 

Caves Codorníu: the place where it was created cava

This winery has belonged to the Raventós family for many generations, without whose ancestors it would be cava probably never came into being. 

The winery is located on a huge plot of land dominated by a modernist building signed by the famous architect Puig i Cadafalch (from whom you can recognize in Barcelona Casa Amatller or Casa de les Punxes). 

The main building of the Codorníu winery, designed by the famous architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1906 in the spirit Catalan modernism.

As for the tour, there are several circuits to choose from depending on what you are interested in. Of course, they all include a tasting. You can find a complete overview at their website, or you can look at the offer Barcelona Turisme: 

• Iconic Tour – the main sightseeing route that takes you through the cellars and the history of the almost 500-year-old winery, a tasting of 3 quality wines and a small aperitif, 105 minutes
• Discovery Tours – shortened version of the main sightseeing route, tasting of 2 wines, 75 minutes

More information about the winery tour + reservation >>>

Cavawith Freixenet: a family winery with a long tradition

The second tip for a winery from the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is clearly Freixenet. 

Similar to Codorní, it is a family business owned by several generations of descendants of the original founders. 

Viticulture Cavas Freixenet has a relaxed, family atmosphere

The Freixenet winery, whose wines are guaranteed to be recognized by the iconic dark bottle, focuses mainly on quality, traditional flavors, innovation, and sustainability is a big topic for them in recent years. 

An undeniable advantage Cavawith Freixenet is its location: it is literally a few steps from Sant Sadurní train station, which you can reach from Barcelona in 45 minutes (Caves Codorníu is considerably further, it is located a little outside the city).

As part of the trip, you can visit the winery, watch a short video about its history, look into the cellars and taste 2 samples of local sparkling wine.

More information about the winery tour + reservation >>>

Premium experience: Small group wine tour

Would you like to take a trip to the local Penedès wine region during your stay in Barcelona? You can either go here on your own (see below), or use one of the travel packages, such as Wine & Cava Premium Experience, which includes:

• transport from Barcelona Mercedes SUV
• personal guide
• guided tour of two wineries
• tasting of 4 classic and 4 sparkling wines together with tapas
• a jeep ride through the vineyards with a local winemaker

View details of the experience + reservation >>>

How to get to the wineries in the Penedès region from Barcelona?

If you want to go from Barcelona to the local wineries and explore the wine type cava, you have several options to get there. 

Transport by train

The easiest way to go on a winery tour from Barcelona is by train. 

Renfe L4 commuter trains depart from the main Catalan Square or from the station Barcelona Sants westbound towards Alt Penedès from Monday to Friday (every 30 minutes) or at the weekend (every 60 minutes). 

Trains run in the direction of Vilafranca del Penedès / Sant Vicenç de Calders and your destination station will be the Sant Sadurní d'Anoia stop. The journey takes about 45 minutes. 

If you want to go to the Freixenet winery, it's literally a 2-minute walk from the train station. The Cordoníu winery is about 30 minutes' walk from the station, so it is better to use a local taxi (phone 938 910 428). 

Transportation by bus

If you don't want a train, you can also take the Hillsa bus from Barcelona to Sant Sadurní (time tables). You can get on it at any stop in Barcelona, ​​and in the same way at your destination you can choose the stop that will be closest to "your" winery.

The bus runs in both directions approximately every hour and the last connection to Barcelona from Sant Sadurní leaves at half past eight in the evening.

They pay for the bus classic public transport tickets (3 zones).

Transportation by car

If you don't want to depend on public transport and want to explore more of the local wineries, I recommend it rent a car in Barcelona. Thanks to it, you can get where you need to go - some small wineries are not served by public transport at all. 

From Barcelona, ​​just take the AP-7 or AP-2 road and then exit at the sign for exit 27 (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia). The distance from Barcelona is about 40 km.