Costa Brava Wine Tour D. O. Empordà

Posted by Birgit Liebscher on 8/05/10 • Categorized as Costa Brava,General

Wine, sea and more: The D.O. Empordà region is a part of Catalonia, and more precisely the Costa Brava. It is indeed located quite close to the Costa Brava’s popular beaches. Most travelers do not know yet that wines produced in that region are very well worth the try. Our journey begins just behind Rosas, along the mountains of the Sierra de Albera, a chain of hills spilling into the sea like a secret. To our right, the town’s houses stand huddled against the mountain, to our left olive groves stretch out far into the countryside. Dolmes and menhires from times no long gone by are hiding in the undergrowth. The first bigger town on our route is called Palau – Saverda. The Roman sant Joan church is situated in the town’s center, old and withered it towers above the other buildings. The vegetations is opulent, immodestly green. Butterflies trundle on the breath of the wind; thunderflowers in dark blue, lupines, thistles, bright red viper’s bugloss and white and pink wild roses (Cistus albidus) form a picturesque backdrop, especially in combination with the breathtakingly beautiful view onto the sea. Above the town, half-way up the mountain, the Ermità Sant Onofre glows white in the midday sun. The ruins of the Castell de St Salvador can be seen on the mountain top. The view is crowned with oddly twisted branches. Big granitic rocks, willful in their bizarre shapes, add to the air of surrealism. In the D.O Empordà, each village has a cooperative of its own. The inhabitants buy their wines directly at the producer’s, either fresh from the barrel or packed in boxes or, as far as the young and fruity wines are concerned, in bottles. Most vintners also sell self-made high-quality olive oil. This is also the case for the next village on our journey, Pau.
Pau, as many other small villages, also features a church (Sant Martí de Pau) which is well higher than all the other buildings. The gardens are vivacious with ancient citrus and orange trees. The old fig trees are budding again. Pau is an old village, with some of the buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th century.

Pau and the next village, Vilajuiga

The modern Bodega Espelt (www.cellerespelt.com) is located between Pau and the next village, Vilajuiga. The bar offers wine tastings, and of course, tourists and commercial customers alike are also welcome to buy wine directly.
The Empordà, formerly known for producing sweet white wines (rancio) has now specialised on the production of fresh and fruity light reds. Many different grapes can be found here. As for whites, there are Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay, Moscatek, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. Red grapes include Garnache Rinta, Carinena, Carbernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Ull de Llebre and Merlot. The Vilajuiga cooperative offering wines and fresh olive oil. Vilajuiga however, does not only offer wines, but also water. The Vilajuiga springs are free for anyone to fill their water canisters. This still, healthy and tasty water is also available at supermarkets all across the Costa Brava. Rumor has it, that the only mineral water Dalí would ever drink came from the Vilajuiga springs.
Another village, Garriguella has several vine yards and a cooperative (www.cooperativagarriguella.com). Again, a church (Santa Eulàlia de Noves de Garriguella) is the village’s heart and soul. It also has a very fine and surprisingly unknown hotel and restaurant La Plaça (www.hotelgarriguella.com). In this relaxing setting, guests come to enjoy the Chef’s creative and individual style expressed through the medium of a French Mediterranean cuisine based on quality local produce.

Sant Climent Sescebes

In Sant Climent Sescebes, we visit the modern Bodega Terra Remota (www.terraremota.com). The minimalistic building is just what wine growers Marc and Emma Bournazeau wanted: a combination of modernity and tradition in combination with the Empordà’s unique and fascinating landscape. Passing Sant Climent Sescebes , we drive through more live groves, wine yards and blossoming poppy fields until we reach Capmany, a town known for several good Bodegas. The Grup Oliveda sells fine wines and Cava. There also is a museum of wine and armature, where anybody interested in the Bodega’s history can certainly learn a lot. They also offer wine tastings there (www.grupoliveda.com). The church of Capmany has been built Roman style in the 12th or maybe 13th century. In the upper part of the town, there is a small chapel, constructed in the 17th century, named after patron saint Sant Sebastià.
The wine growers of the D.O. Empordà have clearly noticed the times of the signs, and now count on quality as well as on a witty combination of the modern and the traditional. After all, this is Spain’s oldest wine growing region: The Greek brought the first grapes to Spain as they went ashore near Empùries – more than two thousand years ago.