Back to Barcelona, via Sitges (5/16/2014)

As we left Cal Compte and exited Torroja del Priorat we were treated with one last wine experience which was not on the agenda.  This gentleman was working on his wine production at the end of our street.  Seeing that we were looking at our Garmin Navi with some confusion, he proceeded to give us directions in Spanish.  He did not know where we were headed mind you, but was trying to be helpful just the same.  The gentleman waived us over to park the car and come see his wine making operation.

Through some very broken Spanish conversation I found out his son's name was Michael.  That was about all I could really understand, but he talked and we smiled and nodded.  He shared some of his wine and some dried figs with us.  We graciously thanked him and made our way out of Priorat's rolling vineyard covered countryside.  It was a unique little experience that we will always remember.

After spending 3 glorious days in the vineyards of Priorat our plan was for a soft re-entry back to city life.  We would stop one night in Sitges, a beach enclave located about 35 km southwest of Barcelona.We had skipped this stop on our last trip to Spain and wanted to check it out this time.

We enabled, the "avoid highway's" filter on the Garmin Navi wound our way through towns and roundabouts toward the coast.  The route did not take us along the water as we had hoped, but we veered of track just after Tarragona in search of seaside towns and views.  

We were rewarded with a stop to stretch our legs in Tamarit.  It appeared to be a camping haven near the beach with a resorty atmosphere and mid-rise condos.  It was breezy and cool at the beach but we happened upon a small market where we purchased local olives and some almond cookies before continuing our trip.

Arriving in Sitges by car was challenging.  The Garmin gave us accurate directions to the Hotel Galeon where we were staying, but apparently the satellite guidance and mapping systems are not up on the local customs of when roads are only open for pedestrian traffic.  There was a large metal blockade on the street we were guided to for the hotel.  One way streets and hordes of pedestrian traffic did not help matters.  Plan B...we found a parking garage for the local shopping center, with the car parked, we traversed the twisty streets on foot to the hotel.  The hotel staff spoke English well and shared with us the secret of the roadways and how to park the car.  

We dropped our bags and wandered through the busy streets toward the beach.  It was an active beach town with the typical mix of locals and many tourists.  We arrived at an expansive beach and promenade which provided for a nice walk and view of Sitges from the waterside.  We stopped for a complimentary glass of bubbly on the rooftop of our hotel's sister property at the beach to take in the view.     

Sitges beach

Bubbly at the beach

Sitges beach

Our dinner and breakfast was included in the Hotel Galeon, so we did not partake of any of the restaurants in the area.  The hotel food was good, but no competition for the meals we had just enjoyed in Priorat.  We had been on food and wine overload for the last few days, so it was a good thing to not overindulge.   We did enjoy an afternoon wine, cheese,  olive and almond cookie snack at the beach booty from our earlier stop in Tamarit. 

Good day at the beach

That evening, FC Barcelona happened to be playing a championship soccer match against rival Atletico de Madrid.  We found a small local bar showing the game and squeezed into a table with the locals to watch.  It was an animated crowd who yelled things we did not understand in Spanish as the game progressed.  The only Spanish word I understood from the television was pelota, which means ball.  It was fun.  One of the locals in bar left her pooch waiting outside while she watched the match. He was dressed in FC Barcelona colors, but was disappointed with the rest of us when Barcelona lost.  

Go Barca!

New foods and an old acquaintance

Our guide Rachel arranged two more delightful meals on second day of touring.  Our lunch was at the newly established restaurant, Brots.  Located in the village of Poboleda in the Priorat and owned by a passionate chef,  Pieter Truyts.  Pieter is from Belgium and has long experience working in Michelin star restaurants in Cambrils and Belgium. Our chef is also the husband of a local winemaker. The several course tasting menu, paired with local wines was a feast for the eyes and the stomach, all prepared from local fresh ingredients.  I ate things I never thought would cross my lips. I am not much of a food explorer, but in this case I am glad I was.  I tried to keep notes on the ingredients of the various plates, but as the chef was creating an off-menu selection, just for us, I could not keep up with it. Maybe the wine influenced my note-taking ability. :-)

Some of the delectables included Salad of Iberian pork cheeks and smoked sardines, Codfish belly risotto and tuna cheek, Pulpo (octopus), Mackeral over local mushrooms.  

The decor was hip, whimsical and modern.  

Our visit to Priorat in 2010

By shear coincidence, this restaurant was located right down the street from a little wine shop that Mike and I had visited on our last trip to Spain and the Priorat.  I took memorable picture of the large wine cask inside the shop.

Same wine shop, same man working there in 2014

Our final meal in Priorat was at Les Figueres. The restaurant opened just for our private dinner.  After our incredible (and long) lunch, this meal was an enjoyable, low-key way to end our time in Priorat.  Once again, the focus was on fresh locally sourced ingredients paired with a selection of very local Gratallops wine.

We arrived back at inn, said our goodbyes to Rachel and our tour partners and enjoyed our last peaceful night at Cal Compte.

History Lesson: Priorat Pioneers

One of the great values of having a guided wine tour of this region was learning about the history.  All the wines were pretty amazing, but the story of this region, it's tragedy and tenacity add as much to the wine's "bouquet" as the terroir and grapes themselves.  Read a good in-depth article on the region here. I have summarized some historical info from the article below.

Wine production began in this region in the Middle Ages through monastic orders who were settled in this wild, secluded mountainous region to form new abbeys.  Feudal rights were given to seven villages in this region which formed Priorato. They were adept at viticulture and self-sustaining farming in this difficult terrain.  It is known as the world's most vertical wine region as there are precious few flat lands on which to plant vines.  The Priorat became known for high alcohol, robust red wines.

The 19th century saw the fast decline of Priorat: many workers moved to the silver mines nearby, and then the scourges of oidium and phylloxera destroyed the vineyards, which had reached some 6,000 hectares at the end of the 18th century. The population dwindled and its wine influence became a distant memory, the villages now shells of their former selves.

The Priorat Pioneer folklore of the redevelopment of the region varies a bit, but it is widely held the in late 1970s, when René Barbier (Clos Mogador) and Carles Pastrana, two young local growers, started replanting vines around Gratallops they were joined over the next decade by a bunch of youngsters from many places who heard of the project, plus a veteran oenology professor, José Luis Pérez, who would mastermind some of the collective decisions, such as the importation of French varieties. The region's vineyard area then was just 800 hectares.  There are now almost 200 wineries and 2,800 hectares under vines in Priorat.  These Pioneers, and now their families are again bringing these wines to the world.  

On day two, we began our tour at the legendary Clos Mogador.  Rene Barbier was not at the winery the day of our tour but Katja (our guide) shared the pioneering legacy, the evolving philosophy and of course their award winning wines.

Ancient juice press in which baskets are layered

Grape baskets used for pressing juice lightly from the grapes

We also toured another more current pioneer at Mas Doix, a mother and daughter team who make berry by berry selection of the grapes at harvest to produce award winning local wines.  You Go Girls!      

Sandra Doix, Winemaker

Flagship wine and my personal favorite,
65% Grenache, 25% Carignane, 10 % Syrah 

We last left our intrepid travelers tipsy from the vineyards...

We arrived back at the Cal Compte inn later than planned and only had time for a quick freshen up before dinner.  We only had to go downstairs to the quaint, centuries-old dining room where a typical Priorat meal would be served family-style.  In keeping with our strategy of going no more than 2 hours without wine, our guide arranged for another local winemaker to join us for dinner and share his story and wines.

The meal was simple and delicious.  Elena, our hostess and cook transformed tomatoes and basil something so addictively delightful that I had to have Mike move the bowl away from my reach. The cheese,nut and dried fruit course at the end of the meal, drizzled with fresh local honey was the perfect finish.

Tomatoes a la Elena, the object of my obsession

Dessert

The entertainment for the evening was Jeroni Basté from Celler de l'abadia , named after the little river that surrounds their vineyards in Gratallops, Spain.  Jeroni is of French descent but he and has family fell in love with the Spanish wine culture and produced its first vintage in 1989.  Jeroni regaled us with the stories of the development of the winery, the history of the wine labels and making Spanish wine as a Frenchman.

Our dinner companions

Alice was my favorite

After Rachel and Jeroni left for the evening, the 4 of us savored the remaining wine and called it a night.

Priorat and Montsant wines...make a new acquaintence

Mornings at Cal Compte.  I usually add a lot of additional description in this case a picture is worth a thousand or less of my words.

View from our breakfast table

Freshly baked almond cake

Breakfast buffet

Morning in the kitchen in Priorat

Our guide Rachel was right on time to collect us for our day's touring itinerary.  We started our day with a very small wine producer in the Montsant DO, the soulful, emotional wines of Fiçara Vins.  The proprietor and winemaker Jaume Roca gave up his successful job as an accountant to return to the roots of his family vineyard.  His emotional connection to this land was so tangible as he drove us to the highest cliff of his vineyard to the "Balcony of Priorat".  We stood among his old vines and he shared the history of his land, the grapes, his biodynamic growing philosophy and some of the hardships he has encountered in difficult growing seasons.

Jaume Roca, Fiçara Vins

Old vines on the "Balcony of Priorat"

Their annual production is approximately 8,000 bottles, so low yield years have a significant impact. We shared some conversation and tastings with Jaume before we moved to our planned lunch. Delightful.

Wine production room, seriously old school

Cream of Artichoke soup with poached

We proceeded to a lovely lunch at Quinoa Restaurant in Falset. Their focus on local seasonal ingredients was evident as we enjoyed a delicious lunch accompanied by a local Montsant wine.

We adjusted our afternoon schedule to pick up another couple from San Diego who were also planned to tour with Rachel.  After a brief stint at the Falset train station, we were off to our next winery tour, Capafons Ossó Winery.  This producer grows grape in both Priorat and Montsant.  This family has made wine in the region for five generations.  Mr. Capafons drove us through his beautiful vineyards and passionately shared the lessons and innovations that have formed his farming and winemaking style.   He stopped often to have smell flowers, rocks and dirt.  Did I say he was "passionate"?   He was an early pioneer (at the time, the other growers all called him "eccentric") in leaving the space between the vines unplowed.  Instead, he allows wild flowers, herbs and weeds to grow as the winds and bees see fit.   He has proved over time that, in this mostly slate land, his method reduces the stress of the earth and improves grape quality.

The engaging Mr. Campafons

Innovative vine alignment and biodynamic farming unique to Capafons Ossó 

We went back to a quaint tasting room where we tasted several wines.  Thank goodness Rachel was driving, tipsily we traversed the winding roads back down to Cal Compte for dinner.

A snapshot with Mr. Campafons

 

The Village of Torroja Del Priorat, Population 172

Our accommodations in Priorat were booked at Cal Compte. Again, our guide Rachel had provided the following quaint directions to the guesthouse..."it is opposite the church and streets are narrow, so I suggest you drove up and skirted around the village as you approach it from Escaladei. Enter the village from the “part alta” the higher part of the village. This will take you on a dirt road (the mayor is waiting for a grant to finish resurfacing it which is not forthcoming!). Park in square near cooperative building and Cal Joc restaurant and walk bags to church square where you will find Cal Compte. Or be daring and drive up to the door down a very narrow, cobbled street from the other side of the village, driving under the arch which is Cal Compte!"

Mike and I had a disagreement on which dirt road was the correct one.  After a few harrowing moments on what I thought looked like a sidewalk, not a road, we arrived in the small village.  For the record, Mike was sure we were on the right road all along.

We parked in the town square and walked down the cobblestone road through the village to Cal Compte.  We saw a couple of people, but they paid us no attention. The huge wooden doors to the hotel were locked up tight when we arrived.  We pressed the external intercom buttons several times but no one answered.  It was about 6PM and we were scrambling around to find a phone number that we could call to inquire about where the keeper of the inn might be.  As if on queue, Joaquim, the owner of the place rolled into the church square and welcomed us inside.

The Cal Compte was built in 1801 although the house has parts which dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The entry was truly stunning.  Joaquim showed us where breakfast would be served and showed us to our room.  We were literally the only guests in the whole place. 

It was as if we were staying in a historic monument in the common areas, yet the 3rd floor had been renovated into beautiful, modern guest rooms and suites.  The most incredible views were right outside our window.

Our dinner had been arranged at the local restaurant in town, Cal Joc.  They were not usually open in the evenings, but they had agreed to open for us.  Seriously, there were two ladies (seemingly mother and daughter) there to make dinner just for us.   

When Mike was trying to translate the menu options with the elder woman who was our server, he pointed to the menu item which we assumed was pig, "cerdo", she then formed a gun with her hand and proceeded to simulate a shooting sound.  From that we got "wild boar" and Mike's menu choice was final.  We had a terrific meal, Mike had the wild boar stew which will probably remain in his top 10 meals for quite some time.  They only served wine that was made from the Village of Torroja Del Priorat, it was quite enjoyable.




We walked back through the quiet village to our hotel and entered the grand wooden doors.  What an incredible day..