Catalonia · Penedès & Priorat
Catalonia: A Winemaker's Table
Eight days in Catalonia with our sommelier, Xavi — through doors that don't open to visitors, to tables that aren't for sale.
The place
Two wine regions, an hour and a world apart
Penedès is soft country — rolling vineyards running down towards the Mediterranean, the home of Cava and of still wines that rarely leave the region. Priorat is the opposite: mountain terrain, terraces cut into slate, tiny yields and some of the most sought-after reds in Spain.
We spend the week between the two, and on the coast at Sitges in between. Long lunches. Wine poured by the person who made it. Enough time in each place to stop being a visitor.
Your host
"Slow down, listen, and you'll understand what's actually in your glass."
Xavi Domènech · Sommelier
Xavi is a sommelier, a storyteller and — more usefully — a neighbour. The winemakers on this journey are people he knows, which is why a family will open their home to twelve guests and pour four centuries of history at their own table.
He hosts in Catalan, Spanish and English, and stays with the group from the airport on day one to the airport on day eight.
What stays with you
Four things you couldn't book yourself
Dinner with a winemaker
Not a tasting room and not a set menu — a table hosted by the family who made everything in your glass, with four centuries behind them.
The amphorae maker
His workshop, his small-batch clay wines, and your own hands on the wheel.
The castellers
Human towers, up close — Catalonia's most extraordinary act of collective trust, and nothing like watching it on a screen.
Olive oil at the source
A boutique mill, a tasting straight from the press, then lunch under the trees with the family who farm them.
Day by day
Penedès, Sitges, Priorat
Two boutique hotels, one coastline, and no day that asks you to rush.
The itinerary
Eight days
Tap any day to open it.
Day One Arrival & WelcomeMet at Barcelona airport, poured a first glass by dusk.
- Private transfer from Barcelona airport, where Xavi meets you.
- Check in to a boutique hotel set within a working Penedès wine estate.
- The afternoon is yours — the vineyards start at the door.
- Welcome drinks and a seasonal dinner at the estate restaurant.
Day Two Craft, Clay & Culinary ConnectionWine made in clay, by a man who makes the clay.
- Into the workshop and home of an amphorae craftsman.
- Taste his small-batch clay-aged wines, then shape clay yourself.
- Back to the estate for a lunch of artisan products with a local legend.
- Dinner at a Michelin-starred, Green-starred restaurant built on organic, locally sourced ingredients.
Day Three Heritage & the Art of the AperitifVermouth, olive oil, and dinner at a family's own table.
- A family-owned vermouth distillery — fifth generation, roots in the 1800s.
- A private sensory session through the botanicals behind the blend.
- A boutique olive oil mill, then a light lunch on the grove estate.
- Dinner in the home of a winemaking family with four centuries behind them, in their private dining room, paired with their estate wines.
Day Four Coastal Charm & the Spirit of PenedèsTo the sea at Sitges — and human towers after dark.
- Transfer to Sitges and your seafront hotel for the second half of the week.
- Free time along the promenade, the boutiques and the cafés.
- Evening in Vilafranca del Penedès with oyster farmers, jamón curers and cheesemakers, each paired with local wines.
- The castellers — Catalonia's human towers, experienced up close.
Day Five Sea, Story & the Taste of SitgesA fisherman cooks lunch; the town tells its own story.
- Sea-to-table lunch hosted by a local fisherman, prepared and cooked in front of you.
- Taste Malvasia de Sitges — a historic varietal kept alive by the town itself.
- An evening walk with a local guide on the Americanos, the 19th-century returnees who built Sitges.
- Private dinner at a chef-owned restaurant: modern Catalan cooking from a former Michelin-starred Barcelona chef.
Day Six A Celebration of Wine, Food & Local PassionLunch at the winery, then the afternoon to yourself.
- Lunch at a winery with the winemaker and a private chef — a seasonal menu paired with estate wines.
- The afternoon is free to explore at your own pace.
Day Seven The Soul of PrioratSlate, terraces, and two vineyards walked at sunset.
- Into Priorat's rugged terraced vineyards.
- A celebrated winery, hosted by its owner.
- A traditional masia with the farmers who work it, and a light lunch among olive trees and orchards.
- Sunset across two prized vineyards belonging to a private winemaking family.
- A private dinner on the estate — bespoke menu, wines chosen to match.
Day Eight Departures & Lasting ConnectionsBreakfast, goodbyes, and a private transfer to the airport.
- A final breakfast among the vineyards.
- Farewells to the people who hosted you.
- Private transfer to Barcelona airport.
Take it away
The full brochure, as a PDF
Every day in detail, the producers, the hotels and the practicalities — the document we'd send you if you rang us. Useful for showing whoever you're travelling with.
Thank you.
Your brochure is ready. It opens in a new tab — save it from there and it's yours to keep.
Open the brochureWhere you stay
Seven nights, two boutique hotels
Penedès
Hotel MontRubí 1771
An adults-only five-star "slow winery hotel" in a restored 18th-century farmhouse, in the heart of the Penedès, where history, nature and wine are treated as the same subject.
hotelmontrubi1771.com
Sitges
Casa Mett
A five-star, adults-only retreat a few steps from the Sitges coast — warm Mediterranean design, a Valmont spa, a pool, and four restaurants of its own. Relaxed rather than formal, and built for lingering.
metthotelsandresorts.comOccasionally a property is unavailable for our dates. If that happens we substitute a hotel of a similar standard and character, and we tell you before you travel.
The week, in pictures
Catalonia, as our guests found it
The detail
What's included
- Seven nights across two boutique hotels
- Seven breakfasts, six lunches, six dinners — curated to showcase local cooking
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout meals and events
- Private wine tastings at the hotel and at handpicked vineyards
- Every activity named in the itinerary
- Private airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Your sommelier host throughout, including help choosing wines to take home
- Gratuities for local staff
Not included
- Wine purchases — your sommelier will help you choose; the bottles are yours to buy
- Gratuities for your sommelier host
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Anything not specified in the itinerary
2027 departures
Two dates, twelve places each
Spring
15 – 22 May 2027
Vines in leaf, the coast still quiet, and long light over the Priorat terraces.
Choose these datesHarvest season
18 – 25 September 2027
Harvest in the air, and the Santa Tecla festival — music, fireworks, the whole town out.
Choose these datesDeposits & payment schedule
- A deposit of $2,000 per person secures your place. It is non-refundable if you cancel.
- The $1,500 single-occupancy supplement is payable at booking, so a single traveller pays $3,500 today.
- A minimum of five travellers is needed to guarantee the departure. If we cancel because we don't reach five, everything you have paid is refunded in full, deposit included.
- The balance is due 180 days before departure — or, if you book inside 180 days, 30 days after your deposit.
- Bookings made within 90 days of departure are payable in full.
- We accept credit card, debit card and online bank transfer.
- Travel insurance covering cancellation, medical care and repatriation is a condition of travelling with us.
Good to know before you book
- The group is capped at twelve guests.
- Occasionally an experience can't run on the date offered. Where that happens we replace it with a comparable experience, and let you know in advance.
- If a hotel is unavailable for our dates we will substitute one of a similar standard and character, and tell you before you travel.
- You're free to skip any excursion, though we can't refund meals or events you choose to miss.
- We can accommodate most dietary requirements, including vegetarian, but we need to know in advance so we can plan properly with the chefs and producers. Tell us when you book and we'll take it from there.
"This is a special experience for anyone who is passionate about exploring new culinary frontiers and experiencing the rich legacy of world class wineries of the region."
Kim Stone · Catalonia
Secure your place
Six questions and a deposit
Your place is held the moment the deposit clears. Everything else — dietary notes, flights, insurance, passport details — we collect afterwards, at your own pace.
Prefer your own group?
The same doors, on your dates
Every journey we run can be built privately for your family, your friends or your clients — same producers, same hosts, your calendar.
Twelve places per departure
Come and sit at the table
Tell us which departure you're drawn to and we'll come back to you personally — no automated brochure, no sales sequence.