Barcelona Wine Tasting

This article was last updated in May 2024. Email us on info@barcelona-life.com with any queries!

Wine-making in Catalonia…

Catalonia, in north-east Spain, is blessed with diverse and fertile soils and a warm climate which have proved to be perfect conditions for wine-making for centuries. Today over 70,000 hectares in Catalonia are given over to wineries and vineyards, across 12 different classified denominacion de origen regions, and the province has a long history of production that can be dated back to the Phoenicians, an ancient civilisation who arrived on the Iberian peninsular long before the Romans.

Catalonia, in north-east Spain, is blessed with diverse and fertile soils and a warm climate which have proved to be perfect conditions for wine-making for centuries.

Whilst vintages on this side of the Pyrenees don’t always garner the same praise as their French cousins across the border, the vineyards of Spanish and Catalan wineries have been turning out great tasting blends for generations now: although it wasn’t perhaps until the 19th century when regional producers truly mastered the art. It was of course at that time that the production of the now world famous Cava wines began, when Josep Raventos of the Codorniu winery successfully imitated the French Champagne method of producing sparkling vintages in the early 1870s.

The breathtaking landscape of the Penedes….

The Codorniu winery remains one of the most famous and popular in Spain, but there are in fact many more around Barcelona where you can visit and tour the vineyards and cellars – as well as of course indulge in some wine tasting, whether you prefer red, white, sparkling or still.

Top 11 Wine Tasting Activities

Although it can be cheaper to travel independently from Barcelona to the surrounding vineyards by public transport, you may find that joining an organised excursion is worth the extra dinero you pay when it comes to enjoying a day out at the cellars.

Instead of having to research the wineries opening day/times, trying to find out when English-speaking tours are available, and navigating train timetables on the Renfe website, you can simply concentrate on enjoying some lovely wines and Cavas! Additionally, some of the very best wineries are only reachable by car, and no one wants to be the designated driver on a wine tour…

Check below for a curated list of activities which we have hand-picked for our readers, some of which we can help organise for you, others of which you can book online via our partner sites.

We’ve divided them into ‘Cellar Tours’ that take you out to wine country and ‘City Tastings’, which take place in Barcelona itself.

Excursions to Wine Regions

Let’s get out of town and explore some wineries!

1. Create Your Own Cava

For a hands-on wine tasting tour, look no further than the Create Your Own Cava experience. This day out combines all the activities of any self-respecting wine tour, such as a guided stroll around the sun-kissed vineyards, a nose around the cellars, and a thorough explanation of the production process, but it also invites people to participate directly in the wine’s preparation. After sampling three blends of Cava, guests choose a bottle of their favourite and then tackle the tricky process of ‘disgorgement’ themselves. Great fun, and afterwards you can personalise the bottle you prepared… and take it home to drink at your leisure! The cost is just 60 euros per head and includes free pick up from the local train station in the Penedes (you can easily make the 50 min rail journey from Barcelona). Splash out a bit extra and you can round off your tour with a rustic lunch in the romantic environs of the 1,000-year-old farm house. Email info@barcelona-life.com with your group size and available dates to reserve, or to ask for more info. The great value price and reviews make this our number one booked eno-activity!

2. Private Wine Tasting Tour

On this bespoke private excursion, organised by an English-speaking Catalan sommelier and guide, guests will be transported to two top wineries in the Penedes region. However you won’t be calling in on the more touristic Codorniu and Freixenet wineries, but rather you’ll be shown around two family-run boutique vineyards where you’ll get a more personal tour of the premises and taste a wide range of mouthwatering local Catalan wines. Afterwards you’ll visit a top quality local restaurant for a hearty lunch with regional dishes. The cost starts at €335 per person for 2 people, going down to €210 p.p for 7 people or more, and that price includes all food and wine, hotel pick up and private guide, making this day out a great value luxury experience for those looking for that authentic tasting experience. To check availability, simply email info@barcelona-life.com with your dates and group size. For a little more time and money, your sommelier guide can drive you to the Priorat region of Catalonia instead, which is Spain’s second most prestigious producer after Rioja. More info here.

3. Montserrat & Wine Tasting

A fabulous day trip that combines a visit to the unmissable Montserrat mountain and the sacred abbey nestled in the folds of its jagged peaks, followed by a delicious traditional lunch and the chance to taste some excellent regional wines. After a guided visit of the breathtaking mountain (Barcelona’s number 1 day trip!), and enjoying a three-course Catalan meal at a local restaurant, the second half of the day takes places in a family-run boutique winery, where your party will enjoy roaming the grounds and vines before sampling three different organic wines. At the all inclusive price of €99.95 per person it’s a great deal. Transport leaves from Estacio del Nord Bus Station in the centre of Barcelona. You can reserve securely with free cancellation option via Get Your Guide.

4. 4×4 Winery Tour in the Penedes

This small group activity leaves every day from Barcelona and offers fantastic value for anyone who wants to get out and explore the Penedes wine region and taste its produce. You’ll be whisked from Barcelona city centre by luxury Mercedes SUV and taken to two picturesque wineries. The first belongs to a wonderful manor house, and you’ll also be able to take an unforgettable ride in a 4×4 through the manor’s vineyards, which is also home to a Romanesque church. After learning plenty of Bacchic secrets from a professional vintner, you’ll be taken to a tasting room for tapas along with the chance to savour four distinct wines. Next you’ll head to a second winery that specialises in Cava for more of the same treatment! All tastings are paired with food, so you won’t go hungry. Available to book via Get Your Guide.

5. Sailing Cruise with Vineyard Visit

Can you go sailing and wine tasting in a gorgeous organically-farmed vineyard in the same day? Yes you can… at least in Barcelona, the city where it seems everything is possible! On this half day trip, you set off from Port Olimpic at 10am and sail up the coast in a luxury yacht inhaling the fresh air of the Mediterranean (ask nicely and you’ll even have a go at the helm!). Your destination is Alta Alella, a wonderful winery set in a natural park with stunning coastal views. Naturally you didn’t come here just for the views though, and after a tour of the premises you’ll taste three of the organic blends made at this family-run vineyard, paired with sausage, cheese and bread. Afterwards, a mini-van whisks you back to Barcelona centre. You can book via Get Your Guide.

6. Penedes Electric Bike Tour

The rolling countryside of the Penedes provides an idyllic rural counterpoint to Barcelona’s sprawling urban jungle, and arguably the best way to experience it is on a bike. On this two-wheel tour you’ll cut a swathe through the scenic countryside of Romanesque churches, quaint villages and lush vineyards to discover amazing local wines at an ecological vineyard, run by 4th generation vintners. To join the tour you’ll have to catch a train to Laverns-Subirat station (easily done!), from where you’ll be given your electric bicycle and set off in a small group with your expert guide. You can book the experience via Get Your Guide.

City Tastings

No need to leave the city when you sign up for these experiences…

7. Private Wine Tasting w/ Tapas Pairing

While we fully advocate getting out to the Penedes, if you have limited time in Barcelona it’s a tough call. We also fully advocate seeing the unmissable architecture of Antoni Gaudi and checking out the best of the city’s art museums! For the wine lover on a tight schedule, this city-based wine tasting class offers the perfect solution. Taking place in one of Barcelona’s authentic vinotecas, a qualified sommelier with talk you through 5 premium Catalan vintages, from the likes of the Penedes and Priorat regions, and taught some expert techniques on how to recognise all those aromas and subtle nuances of flavours. The price is €99 per person for 2-3 people, going down to €69 p.p. for groups of 4 or more. All wines are paired with seasonal tapas or local cheese. To book get in contact via info@barcelona-life.com with your dates and group size.

9. Cava Sabrage (+ Paella Class)

You’re not one of those dreary types that opens wine bottles with a corkscrew are you? Well you won’t be at least by the end of this class… exclusively available in Barcelona to the best of our knowledge! Cava sabrage is the art of opening a bottle of bubbly with a sword, sending the cork flying and keeping the wine flowing. The pressure of the sparkling wine helps create a clean cut so that you can safely pour out the bottle’s contents and drink it. You can read more about this unique activity here, or just email us on info@barcelona-life.com with your dates and group size and we’ll help book you in. The activity takes place in a charming bodega, where you can also upgrade your wine activity to include paella cooking class and lunch/supper.

10. E-Bike, Wine & Tapas Tour

Another great option for wine lovers who want to stay in Barcelona, this intimidate E-bike tour takes place every day at 4pm. The easy-to-ride electric bikes make getting around the city a breeze, and you’ll spend 2.5 hours exploring the medieval Born district, the stunning Parc de la Ciutadella and the sea front, with its urban beaches. The tour finishes at the very bar which Picasso, Dali and Lorca all frequented, and here you’ll spend an indulgent hour or so tasting three different wines paired with enticing local tapas. Available to book via Get Your Guide.

11. Can Calopa Winery Tour

Barcelona Life has teamed up with our favourite local sommelier once again, to offer this special tour to the little-known Can Calopa winery in Collserola Natural Park, the mountain range that rises up at the back of the city. This small vineyard is unique for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s the only place where you can taste wine made within the Barcelona city limits, and secondly it’s part of an amazing co-operative wine-making project that started in the 1970s, employing almost exclusively disabled staff. On this private tour you’ll be collected from your hotel and taken on an enjoyable ride up into the mountains for a slice of rural life, just half an hour from the city centre. After a tour of the farm house, cellar and vineyard, you’ll taste four Catalan wines, and then – on a sunny day – you can enjoy lunch out of the terrace. On a gloomier one, their 18th century dining hall is a wonder to behold. Available Mondays to Fridays. Email info@barcelona-life.com for more info.

Famous Wineries near Barcelona

Below are some of the most famous wineries within shooting distance of the Catalan capital, and some tips on how to reach them. Many can be accessed by train, whilst for others you’ll have hire a car (in which case please designate a driver!).

1. Freixenet Winery

Spain’s second most famous Cava producer, Freixenet’s beautiful Modernista winery can also be found in the Penedes region, and is easy walking distance from the Sant Sadurni d’Anoia train station, so a bit more practical to visit than the Codorniu cellars for example. A tour of their premises starts with a short audiovisual story of both Cava and Freixenet, after which you’ll visit the oldest part of the winery, where the wines are stored, and even get to ride on a miniature train through the underground cellars (great if you’re travelling with kids!). The experience includes two tastings and can be booked via Get Your Guide.
www.freixenet.com

2. Codorniu Winery

A historical winery in Esplugues de Llobregat with cavernous wine cellars, expansive vineyards, beautiful gardens and Art Nouveau buildings, this is the spiritual home of Cava, aka Catalan Champagne. You can reach the winery by making your way to Sant Sadurni d’Anoia (which is 50 mins by train from Barcelona Sants Station) and taking a taxi or walking (25 mins) from there. You can buy a ticket to tour the winery via miniature train and then enjoy two premium glasses of Cava for €20 per person. Tickets available on Get Your Guide.
www.codorniu.com

3. Marfil Alella

The last standing urban winery in Spain can be found just 14km up the road from Barcelona, and is a treat not just for wine buffs but architecture gurus too – the cellars are all built in the characteristic Modernista style of the early 20th century, the Catalan version of art nouveau. Winery tickets include a visit to the Marfil Museum, wine-making laboratory, pressing zone, bottling factory, and of course includes wine-tasting (three varieties). You can arrive to the winery via train, or – if you prefer to take a tour, I refer you back the Wine & Sailing Experience we highlighted earlier!
www.alellavinicola.com

Wine Tour Operators

As the trend of culinary tourism continues to grow, and interest in Spanish and Catalan wines continues to rise, no wonder then that there are more and more passionate local companies helping travellers discover the glories of the grape. Below we list some of the expert local providers, and what they offer:

1. Castlexperience

A young company, offering daily wine tasting trips from Barcelona, Castlexperience will transport you from the hubbub of the city to their modern winery in Oller del Mas, where you will relax in an idyllic environment whilst learning about – and sampling – the cellar’s finest produce. They offer numerous different experiences, but their best in our humble opinion is the Montserrat & Wine tour (as per above), where you get to spend an entire morning at Catalonia’s sensational Montserrat mountain… before commencing your more Epicurean journey into the world of Bacchic pleasures at a boutique vineyard. They are currently offering all their tours via Get Your Guide, including private experiences for those who prefer the luxury of a private tour.
www.getyourguide.com/castlexperience

2. Barcelona Wine Tours

Need more impartial advice on which tours and experiences might be right for you? Then check out the resource dedicated to Catalonia’s enotourism opportunities.  You can reserve a range of grape-related activities from day trips to the best vineyards in Catalonia to wine-tasting courses in the city.
www.barcelonawinetours.com

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ll wrap up this post with the answers to some of your FAQs… if you have an unanswered grape-related question please put it in the comments section and we’ll do our best to help!