Cava + Wine Tasting in Penedes

Welcome to the cava region of Spain!!!
I'm sorry to report that I don't have the most amazing pictures for you after this excursion but I must say that the experience was AMAZING! Okay so, you know that each semester I am responsible for going on three trips with the students on the program I'm working for. Well, this weekend's trip was to a region called Penedes which is the area of Catalunya where the most cava (Spanish champagne) is made. They call their bubbly cava because champagne is what the French make and since they coined the phrase they basically said that champagne is French thus making it unique...riiiight.

I learned a great deal about the business, and also about the history of the Codorniu family who is the largest producer in the region. Art was very important to the Codorniu family, and the presentation of their vineyard and processing center. An artist was commissioned to design their estate. He was a contemporary of Gaudi and did some really amazing things with crushed glass from the cava bottles...

It just looks like the cups runeth over with cava...

Some more of the interesting architecture at Codorniu

One of my future summer homes... just getting ideas

This house that I'm of course covering with my big head was featured in a telenovela series about rich Catalonians...i'm blending right in, verdad?

Old Beautiful Machinery
I thought all of the old machines that were used to press the uvas (grapes) were pretty incredible and innovative for their time...
Our guide was really informative and told us a great deal about the history of cava making. She also told us a great deal about the evolution of the cava bottle and the effects it had on the fermentation, and the modernization of wineries.

Okay so, here I am with my lovely flute of cava...drinking on the job!!! I am standing in front of about a trillion bottles of cava. Apparently these particular bottles had turned to vinegar because they were sitting so long in the large cellar we went to. The cellar was amazing and was a place you could definitely get lost in.

After we got a few bottles of bubby to take on the road, we left Codorniu and headed towards Sitges (which is pronounced more like Seet-Chus) because in Catalan when a word ends with an e the sound is not an E but more like a sound between an E and an A. It was a beautiful day at the beach. My co-worker and I went off for lunch and I attempted to eat a RARE steak...needless to say, I'm not the tough American I thought I was...I was so ill last night and today but...a little bit of Pepto and I'm good as new.

After we left Sitges, we headed to what was definitely the nicest part of the trip, at least in my opinion...
This basically says Parking for the wine vineyard...my Catalan gets better by the minute!


This is the Sadurni Vineyard which is a small, family-owned vineyard in the region of Penedes.The owner, Raimon Sadurni was our guide and wine tasting instructor for the day. He was an amazing host and really taught me a greater deeper appreciation for the cultivation process, and tasting of wine.
Therse are the grapes that are used to make cava and white wines. Since I'm so short, I had to practically jump into this huge container to get you a good photo of these grapes. They were really sweet and delicious.

Raimon gave us each one of these dark grapes that look more like blueberries to taste to make us understand the process, and how different wines get different flavors and what the seeds do to the grapes , etc.
This is the amazing machine that is used during the fermentation process when juice turns to wine. Raimon let us taste a bit of the sparkling cider (basically) in the process and it was amazing. I wish wine actually tasted like that because I would definitely love wine then.Here I am during class getting into my role as a wine taster. I really liked the one that's in my left hand. It was very light. can you see the difference in the color of the two wines? Well, the darker the wine the more aged it is. I apparently like more pear, pineapple, light wood flavored wines :) If you would like to try this wine...please find me and we can pop the bottle together because I did make a purchase for a special occasion.
Now you must know a great vino tinto as well. So I bought some that goes well with cheese, since you all know I'm a big fan of the cheese plate. I also bought a bottle that goes well with a hearty meal, to split with my mom when she comes to Barcelona! (love you mummy)

This me attempting to look very pijo, which is a word that basically means snobby, rich, elite.

These bottles here are some of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world. Raimon told me that each bottle cost about 500 euro and that they are so hard to find because people are of course just in search of the name brand. He said that it's worth it to try an expensive bottle like this but that the difference between one of these classics and a 30 euro bottle of wine is very little. With that suggestion in mind, if I ever drink wine, it will be the cheap kind.