Cava Tour Barcelona – Best Wine Tastings In & Around The City

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If you’ve drunk Prosecco in Italy and Champagne in France, then you simply have to try Cava in Spain. And if you haven’t yet, then this is where you should start!

Most tourists visit Barcelona with the intention of bathing and lazing on its pristine coasts. And they often forget or don’t know that wine tours from Barcelona are plentiful! The wine-producing regions of Catalonia (home to Barcelona), Penedès and Pla de Bages, are both about 45-minutes away from the city. However, the Penedès region is the origin and main production centre of Cava, Spanish sparkling wine.

You’ll definitely recognise the Spanish sparkling wine’s mostly black and gold bottles. That’s because it is the most excessively exported sparkling wine globally! And that is because it tastes so good.

Cava is concocted similarly to Champagne, but the process takes much longer. This makes it a versatile drink to pair with food.

Cava Tasting Barcelona 

Barcelona is known to revel in Cava, incorporating it into any celebration. Yet, if you venture out into Catalonia, you’ll notice the locals drinking it every day! It forms an important part of the Catalonian culture and traditions. This means that not only do you get to get a little day drunk. You also get to learn about and participate in local customs!

For centuries, Catalonia has specialised in wine and gastronomy! The impact of the warm Mediterranean Sea and climate has endowed the Penedès Region with a great abundance of vineyards! Our suggested tours range from 6-hours to 10-hours and all include a bilingual tour guide. 

Dependent on your chosen tour, either cheese or tapas will be paired with the sparkling wine. You’ll also gain valuable insight into the manufacturing processes of Cava, and into Spain itself! 

Cava Tasting Barcelona Prices 2024

The average price you’ll pay is about 77 € ($86) for a half-day tour that allows you to taste the finest, most traditional Cava and wines. 

There are no internally-located Barcelona vineyards/wineries, therefore you should expect to pay a bit more, in order to cover transport too. Fortunately, our selected tours all include transfer costs in their total costs, and they all depart and return from a central Barcelonian site. 

If you wish to explore for longer and dedicate a full day to tasting Cava, then expect to pay from 92 € ($102) and above. In these tours, cava will still remain the primary focus, but you’ll also explore Spanish history and landmarks

The fee for all our suggested tours encompasses entry fees to the wineries as well.

Wine and Cava Tour Catalunya with Lunch

This popular half-day tour allows you to visit three family-owned and operated wineries within the Catalonian scenery. What’s even better is that you get to explore two different but nearby wine-producing regions – Penedès and Pla del Bages. 

Spanning 6.5-hours, your first stop will be a traditional Cava cellar in the Penedès region. It has an underground cellar with ideal humidity! Located in a country house, it is home to some incredible matured wines. And where better to taste three award-winning wines from here than down below? 

The house is surrounded by stretches of vineyards – you’ll be given the opportunity to stroll through them and learn about the growing of the grapes.  

You’ll then be transported North-East of the cellar to a winery and historic castle in Pla de Bages – Oller del Mas. These wines form part of a family tradition from the castle, which makes it even more unique. 

Note: Both venues offer speciality tapas/cheeses to accompany the cava, which is included in the final price of the tour. 

Barcelona Wine, Cava and Tapas 4WD Vineyard Tour

Within 6-hours, this half-day tour will educate you on everything you need to know about cava, rugged-style! On this Barcelona winery tour, you’ll venture into the Penedès region and taste 4 varying Cavas/wines, paired with Catalan cuisine. 

You’ll visit a historical and family-run winery. Here, an experienced oenologist will guide you to and through the farm’s wine cellar. 

A solely candle-lit ancient room awaits you – it is called the Capella and is the oldest section of the farm. The winery is said to be over 2000 years old, and you’ll get to taste four of its best-aged cava!

Once you’re a bit inebriated, a local viticulturist will bring out the convertible 4×4 ‘game-vehicle’, typically used to spot animals. But here, you’ll be spotting ancient rural vineyards as well as a Romanesque church! 

Montserrat Monastery with Cava & Wine Tasting

This is our favourite full-day tour because it combines a Barcelona Cava Tour and a Catalonian History class all in 10-hours! 

You’ll be transported from Barcelona to the Montserrat Monastery, set on a 1, 200m-high mountain! Montserrat is a unique, mountainous religious site with panoramic views of Catalonia’s vineyards. The view even extends as far as Barcelona! The monastery itself was said to be established in 1025 by nomadic monks, and is home to the revered Black Virgin/Madonna. 

After you grasp the splendid view, you’ll go right into the heart of it, into a local Penedès winery. Here, you’ll be informed about the processes of manufacturing Cava while tasting their famed hand-picked Cavas and wines. 

Best Time To Go

The temperatures on the wineries are said to be more intense than Barcelona. Hence, we’d advise you to avoid Catalonia’s somewhat unbearable heat in Summer, by rather visiting in Autumn! 

Beginning in late August, the grape-harvesting takes place in Autumn – this is favourable for tours that include a walk through the vineyards. There are also plenty of festivals across Catalonia celebrating this harvesting! Who knows, maybe you can join one.

If you happen to be planning your Barcelona trip for  July, be sure to travel to a small French commune near to Barcelona, called Prades. Every July, this town hosts a festival wherein the main square’s fountain is filled with Cava rather than water! 

Final Thoughts on These Barcelona Wine Tours

Put a name to the black and gold bottle next time you’re at a social gathering! And if you go to the multi-faceted Barcelona, be sure to dedicate at least two days to explore the vast wineries that are in close proximity! 

Whether in winter or summer, a wine-farm is an ideal way to spend any day, and what’s more, is that our tours offer more than just wine-tasting. Rather, we recommend you to indulge your senses in family-owned wineries, as well as Catalonian history. It’s quite the experience!

 

Matt Davison
Matt has done marketing for travel and tourism for over a decade. His first love is SEO, with entrepreneurship hotter on its heels than a girlfriend. When he is not looking up flights back to his next destination, you can find him in the garden, making excuses to walk Rusty, strategizing with the team and tinkering on sites until the early morning.