By: Katie Moffatt
After a few days of getting used to the Barcelona lifestyle and European time change, we got to go on our first big outing in Spain, a day trip to Sitges. Sitges is a beach town about thirty minutes south of the city center of Barcelona. I didn’t do much research about this town, but I immediately fell in love with the small-town beachy vibe that reminded me of home.
We had to meet our bus kind of early in the morning because it was about a forty-minute bus ride to our first stop, Cellar Eudald Massana. This historic winery sits within the Penedes wine region, the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees and Monserrat Mountains. We were greeted by Albert, a winemaker, who gave us a tour of the vineyard and cellars. He told us that this wine region is great for cava, or sparkling wines. This winery specializes in a mix of three grapes that they use to make their sparkling wines, a similar mix to what you would see coming out of Champagne, France.
Albert showed us a plot of the vineyards and explained how they were able to utilize grape plants from the United States by grafting. This is when they interlace the stem of two different plants for optimal growing conditions. He made a small example of a graft and then pointed out where on the actual plants the graft is. As we moved into the cellar we saw where they store the bottled cava to sit and build carbonation. The wine sits with yeast and as it ages, the bubbles form. I really enjoyed learning about the process of making sparkling wine, as I am originally from the wine country of California. I grew up around wine, but never really learned about sparkling wine.
We finished our tour with a picnic-style lunch of pan con tomate, local meats and cheese, and homemade tortilla de patata, as well as a tasting of some of the winery’s wines. This was not your typical wine tasting though. We drank the wine through a porron. A porron is a wine decanter-looking device for you to pour the wine into your mouth. It was fun and a bit challenging to try, but I think I would rather sip my wine.
We then got back on the bus and headed to Sitges where we met another tour guide for a walking tour. We started our tour by the sea and made our way through the winding streets filled with local boutiques, restaurants, and clubs. We passed a statue with a familiar bat logo on it, one that would be recognizable by rum drinkers. Facundo Bacardi was originally from the beach town of Sitges before he moved to Cuba and created the rum we still drink today. Naturally, I had to enjoy a mojito before leaving Sitges.
We concluded the walking tour at a church called Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla de Sitges which sits up on the city walls. It has gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea and the city as it extends up the hills. This church sits as a backdrop for a lot of views in Sitges. The clear skies and warm sand, along with the inclusive and welcoming atmosphere of Sitges made it one of my favorite places that I have visited.