by admin | Oct 11, 2022 | Blog
Autumn is finally here! This period of cooler temperatures is the perfect time to enjoy being outside, going for walks, exploring new corners and, of course, for enotourism. We have prepared for you some suggestions on how to make the most out of this season in our region.
Visit the Priorat Enoturisme wineries
This year’s grape harvest is slowly coming to an end and the vineyards are ready for some much-needed rest. We know autumn is here when the landscape becomes colourful and the grapevines drop their leaves as the plants slip into dormancy phase until spring, when the vine growth cycle starts again.
Priorat Enoturisme has over twenty partner wineries scattered around the region, which are all opening their doors to visitors. In each winery you will get to learn its history, explore the facilities and taste the most exclusive wines.
Go trekking in wildlife reserves
Priorat is full of protected natural sites for all trekking enthusiasts. Sierra de Montsant Natural Park is an unparalleled choice if you’re looking for somewhere unique and idyllic. There is a variety of walking trails to choose from, each with a different level of difficulty. On your adventure you might stumble upon some truly emblematic sites, such as Toll de l’Ou, the Montsant hermitages or Congost de Fraguerau, just to name a few.
You might also visit La Pietat, a former nursing home of the Carthusian monks that now forms part of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. The interior of the building lies in ruins but the exterior has retained its structure. This place might even take the more spiritual ones on a trip back in time. And naturally you can enjoy a nice walk filled with culture and history.
The Puente de Cavaloca is dry stone heritage site, located on the old road that once connected the villages Vilella Baixa and Cabacés in Montsant Natural Park. This well-preserved medieval bridge which goes over the Cavaloca ravine. You’ll reach this spot via a signposted path from La Vilella Baixa.
Try some delicious cuisine
If you get hungry after all that walking then you’re in luck! Besides wine and olive oil, Priorat offers an excellent cuisine. Our partner restaurants will serve you the best seasonal products, as they constantly adapt their dishes to allow the guests to taste recipes with local ingredients at any time of the year.
The autumnal product of excellence are mushrooms, so we strongly encourage you to order dishes such as scrambled eggs, mushroom cream soup, risotto or the classic beef and mushroom stew. And how about pairing those dishes with wines from the region’s two denominations of origin? On the restaurant menus you’ll find wines from DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat, a guaranteed cherry on top of your experience.
by admin | Sep 21, 2022 | Blog
Strong summer season in Priorat and a recovery of foreign visitors
The summer and the gastronomic festivals have finally come to an end. In terms of tourism, it was certainly a great success! The season rounds off with figures similar to those from 2021, indicating a rebound of foreign visitors to a pre-pandemic level.
The data show that 72% of visitors to Priorat are Catalan. What’s more, the most common profile is that of the Catalan tourists travelling as a couple; they usually have an interest in wine and make a booking only 48 hours in advance.
The figures also demonstrate the recovery of visitors from abroad. According to our partner establishments, foreign tourists account for 16.7% of the total visitors, while Spanish tourists account for 11.1%. As for the profiles, although couples remain the leading category, this summer has also seen the return of international and company groups, as well as wine lovers.
Another good news is that 88.9% of guests come back to Priorat and some even to the very same establishment they visited before. In the words of Maria Jesús Sánchez, CEO of Priorat Enoturismo: “we should continue to do things as we have done up to now, with a warm approach and by promoting local produce and the consumption of the regional wines and oils”.
When it comes to determining the factors that attract tourists to Priorat, the establishments have no doubts: interest in wine is the leading reason (77.8%), followed by nature, gastronomy and culture.
The survey shows that 80% of visitors make a booking on the same day or less than 48 hours in advance. That is why we encourage you to book more in advance since, in most cases, the establishments already have a high volume of guests during high season and on the weekends.
The end of “Priorat Tomato and Garden Vegetable Festivals”
The gastronomic festivals, which ended on 11 September, yielded very positive results. The partners of Priorat Enoturismo sold almost a thousand dishes and tapas to the attendees.
The association’s CEO Maria Jesús Sánchez confirms that the festivals “contribute to enhancing what the summer has to offer, prioritising the loyal audience that values the region’s wine and cuisine, who’s eager to learn more about the culture, the land and the identity of Priorat.”
The events also aim to showcase the region’s vegetables, while promoting the recovery of traditional varieties as well as their production and consumption in tourist establishments in Priorat. In other words, celebrating the gastronomic tradition of the region, while mitigating the loss of cultivated biodiversity.
by admin | Sep 6, 2022 | Blog
If you still don’t have plans for this weekend, then why not attend the 22nd edition of the Wine and Old-Style Grape Harvest Festival in Poboleda this Saturday, September 10th. The celebration, which came into being as merely a local event, has become a real benchmark of the region over the years.
The festival celebrates Poboleda’s winemaking tradition by honouring and embracing old-style grape picking, recreating just as it was done back in the day. Traditional activities will be the focal point of the festival, which is to kick off at 7.a.m. and run until well past the sunset.
The day will be packed full with entertainment for all ages, where wine and winemaking tradition will play the main role. The festival will involve street decorations, an old-style grape harvest, breakfast, la piada (grape stomping), wine tasting, live music, handmade goods market and even castellers (human towers).
Bells will be rung to signal the start of the event and the old-style grape picking will commence. Once the harvest is finished, the whole town will gather for breakfast. Next, la piada will take place on the main road. This activity consists of extracting juice from grapes by crushing them in a tub with bare feet.
Afterwards, the tasting of DOQ Priorat wines will begin at the entrances of the manor houses on Calle Mayor. Celler Burgos Porta, Celler Pasanau, Costers del Priorat, Crivillé & Valls, Perinet, Vinícola del Priorat and Mas d’en Gil are only some of the Priorat Enoturismo partners that will take part in the event.
Concurrently, there will be a handmade goods market in the Raval. In the evening, a casteller (human tower) show will take place and finally, the event will conclude with a dance in “La Closa” farmhouse and a DJ performing just a few steps away from the main road.
The festival aims to showcase the methods, tools and animals that were traditionally used in grape harvesting and winemaking. Yet, it is also a celebration that involves tasting and selling wines made in Priorat, renowned for their quality and enjoyed all over the globe.
We can’t wait to see you there!
by admin | Aug 25, 2022 | Blog
Last Sunday saw a kick off of a new edition of the Terrer Festival in Priorat, which will run until very early winter, 9 December. This 6th edition focuses on small formats, such as intimate gigs, but also dance music events aimed at larger crowds. The Terrer Festival features an extensive line-up of singer-songwriters, mostly female, as has been the case in previous years.
Amongst the invited artists this year are Marc Vilajuana, Papa Orbe & Los Científicos del Sabor Aigua, Roger Mas i la Cobla Sant Jordi, Anna d’Ivori, Roba Estesa, Sandra Monfort, The Sey Sisters, Andrea Motis, Las Karamba, Lofoten Cello Duo, Magalí Sare, Xarim Aresté, Islandia Nunca Quema, Anna Ferrer, Pupil·les, Xarop de Canya and Rita Payés.
This festival is, therefore, an experience that combines enjoying local culture, architecture and wine with supporting sustainability, heritage and the territory. In fact, the event collaborates with the territories of the sponsoring destinations of origin: DOQ Priorat, DO Montsant and DOP Siurana.
The Terrer Festival has consolidated its pre-eminence on the national scene over recent years as a renowned cultural space. It is also an excellent showcase of Priorat, a region at the height of effervescent viticulture, a revitalisation model that prioritises excellence and sustainability.
At Priorat Enoturisme, we cannot recommend you enough to attend this event. Visit our Instagram page to take part in a giveaway for a chance to win two tickets to a show of your choice. To participate, you must follow the Priorat Enoturisme and Festival Terrer profiles and leave a comment on the giveaway post, tagging the person with whom you would like to share the prize.
The more comments you leave, the higher your chances of winning, so participate or else the opportunity will slip away. You have time until Tuesday, 30 August.
In a general context of reconnecting with life and joy, the Terrer Festival Priorat becomes a space to discover a unique, vital and enchanting territory.
by admin | Aug 16, 2022 | Blog
The Priorat Enoturisme Food Expo is to be held on Friday, 19th August at 8:30 p.m. at the Falset Castle, right after the Tomato Fair opening ceremony. Different restaurants, oil producers, a bakery, a cheesemaker and association wineries will all be participating. Will you join us?
Tickets can be purchased via this link as well as at two physical locations: Cooperativa Falset Marçà in Falset and LoRefugi in Cornudella de Montsant. Each ticket includes one drink and one tapa (the value of the drink is €2.50 and the tapa, €3). And… if you aren’t able to get a ticket now, more tickets will be available for purchase at the Castle on the day of the event.
You’ll be able to try…
Restaurant tapas:
- Brichs Restaurant: Tomato salad with olive soup. 3 types of locally-grown tomatoes with a chamomile olive soup.
- Fonda Toldrà: An omelette with Ulldemolins garden spinach juice.
- Les Figueres Restaurant: A mini ricotta cheese pie, assorted tomatoes sprinkled with basil.
- El Cairat Restaurant: Smoked herring tartare and roasted vegetables in a bread bowl.
- La Morera: Cold cream of tomato and curd cheese soup, basil oil and croutons.
- Quinoa Restaurant: Meatballs with stewed organic vegetables.
- Mas d’en Gil: Tomato tartare with crunchy bread seasoned with the winery’s own oil and vinegar.
- Quesería Linens: cheese specialties.
- Forn Pedret: Smoky grilled vegetables and organic tomatoes on flatbread and stewed vegetables on a croissant.
- Priordei: Toasted bread, chocolate, salt and Priordei oil by Christian Escribà.
Extra virgin olive oils:
- Miró Cubells: 3 different varieties of oil. Chocolates with Cavaloca oil and salt.
- Vinícola del Priorat – Pedra de Molí and Molí Nou.
- Priordei – Priordei Llegat 500ml. Arbequina with a slice of bread.
Wines from the wineries:
- Celler Capçanes – Mas Donís white wine, Mas Donís rosé wine, Mas Donís red wine, Mas Picosa white wine made from red grapes, Lasendal
- Clos Figueras – Serras del Priorat white wine 2021
- Cellers Scaladei – Blanc de Noirs 2021, Prior 2019, Cartoixa 2018
- Celler Pasanau – Les Myriams 2017, Ceps Nous organic wine 2019
- Mas d’en Gil – Bellmunt white wine 2021, Bellmunt red wine 2019, Coma Alta 2018, Coma Vella 2016
- Mas Sinen – La Vall, El Clos
- Cooperativa Falset-Marçà – Ètim white wine, rosé wine and young red wine
- Vinícola del Priorat – Ònix Clàssic white wine, Ònix Fusió, Mas dels Frares, Clos Gebrat Criança, La Simó
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