The Penedès region is a synonym for wine. It’s a land of vineyards and wineries, of Cava and Corpinnat, of still wines and sparkling wines. It’s a land of traditional viticulture and of rooted, pruned, and harvested history. It’s a fruitful land, longly fermented and carefully bottled to dress up our tables. The Penedès is a region worth discovering, and one of the best ways to do it is visiting the many wineries scattered around it. Recently, with Pedratour, we had a visit to the Gramona winery, there in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. And we were so impressed that we want to share our experience with you.

Visit to the Gramona vineyards

Our

visit started with a tour around the Gramona vineyards by electric Jeep. Magnificent lands, surrounded by a bucolic landscape and escorted by Montserrat. Amidst the vineyards, there are some wooded areas where the estate’s cows, horses, and sheep graze. The Gramona farm, which we could visit, rises at the heart of this gorgeous scenery. In the farm, they keep the animals and a kitchen garden, which they use to make they own biodynamic preparations. Because, you know, Gramona stands not only for organic agriculture, but for biodynamic agriculture as well.

Biodynamic agriculture is a holistic approach to agriculture which considers the estate as a living organism in which plants, animals, soil microbiota, and humans are interconnected. It embraces a set of practices meant to respect nature and promote the traditional farming ways, avoiding the use of chemicals and mechanization. Thus, they only apply biodynamic preparations made of compost and medicinal plants, which they produce in the farm, to the vineyards.

However, this biodynamic thing has its mystic part as well. Biodynamic agriculture works with the “nature’s vital energies” and takes into account the “cosmic rhythms”. For instance, all farming activities must be scheduled on “favourable days”, a criterion that has something to do with lunar phases, the sun, and universal energy issues. But, since this is quite not my field, I’ll let you explore it by yourselves.

Regardless of to what extent someone may connect with this mystic part, it’s undeniable that their ways are respectful towards the environment. And the visit to the farm and the vineyards is certainly charming.

Visit to the Celler Batlle

Close to the vineyards, Gramona has its Celler Batlle winery. There, they select and press the grapes, and they make some of their wines, those that are not vintage.

At first sight, the Celler Batlle impressed us by its modern and landscape integrated architecture. The winery bets on landscape respect, renewable energies, and techniques that minimise environmental impact. All of it with help of the most advanced technology. Quite a sustainability referent, really.

The inside is impressive. The inox tanks, massive and impeccable, offer an imposing vision. Yet, the most fascinating thing is the corner where the wine ferments. Countless rows of bottles, perfectly arranged, filling up the walls from floor to ceiling, displaying a bewitching symmetry and a rare beauty. I could have spent hours looking at them.

Visit to the Historical Cellar

In Sant Sadurní’s city centre, beneath the restaurant and the event room, Gramona hides an ancestral treasure: the Historical Cellar. It’s in this basement where Gramona’s vintage sparkling wines lay aging. It’s an old and dusty wine cellar, cold, dark, and quiet. To walk around it fills you with the same emotion as entering a church. A mixture of peace and spiritual elation, the feeling of being in a sacred place. It could easily be a visit to a medieval crypt. The bottles, dark and dusty, silently rest in it, some since over 15 years ago, as relics, as ghosts.

In here, everything is done by hand. And it is easy to picture the people rotating the bottles one by one, methodically, and almost affectionately, as if it was a liturgical ritual. It’s certainly a mystic visit.

And, at the end, a museum room filled with traditional farming tools, and even some pieces of art. The whole visit is like a walk through the past, through a holy placed overflowing with history and memories. There’s something about it that touches you deep inside, that moves you, that fills you up with an indescribable emotion. I can’t find the words. It’s magical.

Gran Reserva Menu: tasting menu with wine marriage

The tour we took included a tasting menu with 4 Gramona wines marriages. The place is elegant and comfortable, with a great window that fills the room with light and offers splendid views. The food is excellent. Mediterranean, yet carefully made and perfectly served. And the wine marriages, they were perfect –although it’s not like I’m an expert here.

Delicious food and wines, and in more than reasonable amounts. We left pretty filled up, and more than a glass of wine remained unemptied. It’s not the kind of tasting menu of which you say “Great, very good, but I’ll have lunch again”. And the service was excellent. The truth is there’s nothing I can complain about.

Visit to the Gramona winery: an unforgettable wine tourism experince

I have little left to say. I’m not a wine tourism expert –and I have no intentions of playing specialist–, but I can honestly say I was delighted with the visit. The vineyards seduced me from the beginning, the kittens in the farm stole my heart, the Celler Batlle impressed me deeply, the visit to the Historical Cellar was magical, and the lunch rounded off a lovely day –and made feel a bit light-headed, I must admit–. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Due to this amazing visit to the Gramona winery, in Pedratour we decided to create a couple of packages for you to enjoy this experience too. On one hand, we offer you the same package we enjoyed, including the visit to the vineyards, the Celler Batlle, and the Historical Cellar, and the Gran Reserva Menu. On the other hand, we give you the option to do a  short variant of the tour, visiting only the two wineries and having a wine tasting with some appetizers.

Whichever tour you choose, you’ll love it. It’s a perfect activity for an active, yet relaxing morning. Whether you are true wine expert or just an enthusiast, whether you go alone, as a couple or with friends, it’s a delighting experience. And know in spring, when the vines will sprout and all the Penedès will be golden and green… Charming. The surroundings are a marvel, the products are high quality, and the guides are really nice. A very pleasant and interesting visit, even for someone who, as in my case, knows very little about wine –although I enjoy it a lot despite my ignorance.

Cheers!