Day three of the tour started with a later start, getting on the coach at 9:30 to head inland to Terra Alta. The winery we were visiting was called Celler Coma d’en Bonet, and we were hosted by Pepe, who had grown up at the estate, telling stories of collecting shrapnel from the Spanish civil war to sell as a child.
Pepe showed us the variation in density of the grape bunches and how this varies between variety, we even got to try the grapes straight from the vine – very different to the ones we eat at home. This estate opened our eyes to the different soils that are used in wine production – here it was very soft, clay, a big contrast from yesterday’s rock.
We then headed up to the tasting room where we tried six wines, which all received extremely high praise from all of us, accompanied by a snack lunch. The winery was very picturesque and we were blown away by the affordability of the wines as they were such great quality – a certain recommendation for anyone visiting the region.
We then headed back to the coach and drove ten minutes down the road to Herència Altés. Here we were shown around the vineyards by Sheila. We were absolutely blown away by the views from these vineyards. They spanned for miles and showed off the brilliant variability of the region. After a detailed tour of the vineyards, including a birdbox housing falcons, we arrived in the tasting room – a spectacular room with views across the mountains, and glass windows looking into parts of the production.
Here we tasted eight wines, including an orange wine. These were so interesting and different, getting high praise from everyone in the group, Sheila was very informative about all of the wines and about their sustainability programme – with over 65% of their energy being produced by solar panels, and the rehabilitation of the natural wildlife. We were sad to leave this beautiful winery, whose interiors were almost as beautiful as the views that surrounded it.
As it was our last night, we went out to the restaurant of Hotel Gran Claustre , where we had an eight course tasting menu accompanied by more brilliant wines. The dinner was an eclectic showcase of authentic Spanish flavours and the restaurant was beautiful – those that stayed on for a last drink at the end got to see the beautiful courtyard swimming pool which was a perfect way to end a lovely last evening.
