Ten miles east of Palacios lies Bodegas Estefanía, the winery behind Tilenus, another of Bierzo’s most promising wines made from indigenous grapes.
This back-to-basics wine philosophy is detailed in the recently-built visitor’s center. Like virtually all vineyards in Bierzo, Palacios’s vines grow en vaso, or in low, unkempt bushes, making hand-picking a requirement. Palacios, a bodega on the outskirts of Corullón whose world-renowned repertoire includes cult bottles that retail for more than $1,200. Where to taste If you’ve tasted a Bierzo wine outside of Spain, chances are it was a mencía blend made by Descendientes de J. The best digs in town are the river-facing rooms at Hostal San Marcos, a newly renovated Parador that occupies an ornate 16th-century command post. Home base The most convenient home base in Bierzo might be Ponferrada, a sleepy city of 66,000 people, but León, an hour-and-a-half’s drive away, is far more appealing with its magnificent Gothic cathedral, perennially packed tapas bars, and fine accommodations. Do that in León, a scenic, medieval city just two hours from Madrid on the AVE (high-speed train). Getting there Bierzo is a largely non-industrialized wine region located in the remote, northwestern reaches of León province, and to get around, you’ll need to rent a car. The overall experience is hypnotic, discombobulating, and undeniably fun.
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After you’ve entered a secret code at the door (provided via email in advance) and settled into the space-age dining room, a deluge of palate-bending trompe-l'oeil dishes arrive one after the other for hours. Back in Barcelona, splurge on a tasting menu at Enigma, the latest-and, yes, most enigmatic-addition to the Adrià empire. Where to dine Between bodegas, settle in for classic Catalonian cuisine at Cal Xim, a cozy restaurant in the village of Sant Pau d’Ordal whose flame-licked seafood dishes stand out for their freshness.
At the latter, spend a day behind the scenes trailing vintners and disgorging cava bottles on the house's “A Day With Us” tour. Off the tourist track but equally worthwhile are family-owned cava houses like Pares Balta, Recaredo, and Caves Félix Massana. Though both bodegas stand out for their expert tours and massive barrel rooms, Codorníu has a slight edge over Freixenet for its modernist architecture, underground train, and easily digestible museum. Cava’s most ubiquitous producers, Codorníu and Freixenet, are best known for their low-end bubbly, but visit their soaring cellars, and you’ll be rewarded with complex reservas and a hefty dose of history.
Where to taste Penedès is home to more than 300 wineries, so it helps to visit with a game plan. “Vinotherapy” treatments may seem redundant after a day spent wine tasting, but trust us-they aren’t. But to truly slow down, stay at Mastinell, an ultra-modern retreat plopped in the center of a rolling vineyard. Of its 61 rooms, a whopping 30 are suites, lending the hotel an unhurried residential feel. Home base Almanac Barcelona, open since November 2017, is the luxurious, minimalist, and unpretentious hotel the Catalonian capital so desperately needed. Four wheels do come in handy, however, if you’d like to tour any of the region’s smaller wineries.
You don’t even need a car to visit the iconic bodegas of Codorníu and Freixenet, both of which are located within walking distance of the Sant Sadurní d’Anoia train station.
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Getting there If you have a day to spare in Barcelona, zip down to Penedès, cava country, to learn how the famous Spanish sparkler is made.
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