A perfect blend of cooking, wine and culture. Discover Gaudi's birthplace in Reus, follow the Modernist architecture route, and enjoy hands-on Catalan-Spanish cooking and Priorat wineries. See our Calendar page for dates.. Check the Calendar page for dates
Grape Harvest Special
September Only
4-Day and 6-Day 6 Day 2013 FULL
Join us for a real harvesting tradition! Spend a day harvesting grapes, learning how the Priorat/Montsant wines are made, and having a traditional outdoor harvesting lunch with the whole winery crew. Check the Calendar page for dates
Olive Harvest and Olive Oil Special
In November Only
4days/4nights
As an additional bonus to our normal 4-day cooking and wine vacation, spend a day learning how olives are picked, indulge in a traditional outdoor harvesting lunch and watch the whole process of olive oil being produced. Check the Calendar page for dates
Paella & Rice Special
April to September
4days/4nights
Full immersion into Catalan cooking and Priorat/Montsant wines, with a special emphasis on the famous rice dishes of the region, and a visit to a rice field and producer. Check the Calendar page for dates
Christmas Special
December 20-26 ONLY 2 ROOMS LEFT
Spend the holiday season with this wonderful culinary experience when as an addition to our normal 6-day program you will learn how to make a traditional Catalan Christmas meal. A great way to do something different for Christmas! Check the Calendar page for dates
At
Catacurian, we put a great emphasis on allowing our guests to
discover the great wines of the Priorat region. We do this by
making multiple visits to some of the areas best wineries where
the owners or the enologist take us around to visit the vineyards,
show us the details of their winery and how they make their
wines, and provide us with a complete wine tasting. These presentations
are very one-on-one and are done with great enthusiasm by all
of the wineries. They are extremely informative as to the whole
process of wine making, and one comes away with an excellent
knowledge of how the wines of this region are made and the philosophy
behind them.
Although
the Priorat wines have been produced for centuries, it is only
recently, in the past decade or so, that these have taken a
quantitative leap in quality that now puts them on the forefront
of Spanish wines. This revolution has been taking place in the
rest of Spain as well, and other regions such as Toro and Somontano,
to name a few, previously lacking in the production of quality
wines are now also producing some beautiful wines rivaling those
of the usual Rioja and Ribera del Duero denominations.
Catalonia
is probably best known for its white wines and cava (champagne
method), such as Freixenet and Codorniu which mostly emanate
from the Penedés region near Barcelona, but the constant increase
in production quality from D.O.Q. (Denominació d'Origen Qualificada)
Priorat wines and DO Montsant wines has put these in the spotlight
of wine connoisseurs worldwide. This is what makes this area
so interesting for a wine tour in Spain.
In
2001, the geographical area of El Priorat was divided into two
wine denominations: DOQ Priorat, and DO Montsant. Geographically
the DO Montsant area has a donut shape and completely encircles
the DOQ Priorat area. They both share the same grape varietals,
the same climate, and the same sub-soil, however the DOQ Priorat
region has the hard black slate surface that the vines grow
on and that is so characteristic of El Priorat. The main towns
of DO Montsant production are Falset, Marça, Capçanes, El Masroig,
Darmós, and Els Guiamets. The main areas of wine production in
the DOQ Priorat region are Gratallops, Scala Dei, La Vilella,
La Morera de Montsant, Belmunt, Porrera, Poboleda, Torroja,
and El Molar. Together they total over 700 wine cultivators and over
150 wineries.
One
of the advantages of the Priorat region is its temperate and
dry climate with hardly any rain whatsoever during the summer
months. The geographical factor which affects both the price
and taste of these wines is the fact that most vines are on
steep slopes of slate of volcanic origin which confer a mineral
character to the wines, and also preclude large automation of
the picking process, thus making it a very manual affair. The
most interesting wines of the area are the dry reds. These are
very concentrated, very high in color and alcohol content (14
to 15%), with great tanins, and are ready to drink at even a
young age.
The
grape varietals used for most wine production here are:
- Reds: Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, syrah, and merlot.
- Whites: Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca, Pedro Ximenez.
Apart
from the reds and the whites, there is also a very particular
wine made here called Vi Ranci, or "rancid wine" which
is used as a dessert wine and in cooking. These are aged in
barrels at a higher than normal temperature to allow for a natural
oxidation process to take place. Another particular wine (although
it doesn't follow a fermentation process) is Mistela, a sweet
white wine also used as an accompaniment to desserts.
Catacurian is
the leader in Cooking Vacations with Catalan cooking classes, food courses and wine vacations in El Priorat and Barcelona, Spain.
Enjoy one to six day gourmet Spanish culinary vacation and classes in a private boutique cooking hotel in Catalonia, Spain. Single
day Catalan paella food course also available at our school in Barcelona.
