Day 3 of our Catalonian journey took us a little bit further from Priorat and into the lesser known area of Terra Alta. Arriving at the Pique hotel where the bus could stop, we were greeted by two taxis and Pepe Fuster the owner of Coma d’En Bonet winery. We drove in two tranches to Pepe’s modern winery overlooking the wonderful countryside and Pepe gave us a fabulous insight into the topography and the various influences of different winds. His vineyards are situated right on the last battlefield site of the Spanish Civil War with old ordnance still being found
As the harvest had only just finished, we were able to taste some just finished wines from the tank, still cloudy with a prickle of effervescence, but a great opportunity to experience newly fermented wines. From the cellar, it was up to their wonderful tasting room overlooking the vineyards and a light buffet was awaiting. We tasted Pepe’s excellent wines, Garnacha Blanca/Viognier blends, Rose and a super intense Garnacha red. Great visit!
No time to rest as it was just five minutes to our next stop – Herencia Altes. Run by Nuria Altes and Rafa de Haan, this is a stunning winery with incredible vineyards and views. Their environment and sustainability is very important and they are “off grid” so generate most of their own power. Sheila Ulldemolins showed us around with great aplomb and gave really succinct information – particularly about the Garnacha Blanca and Garnacha Peluda grapes.
Into the tasting room – and what a tasting! A superb range of wines based around Garnacha Blanca from a variety of sites which showed the diversity and complexity that this grape is capable. For most people, this took their level of understanding to a new level. It was brilliant.
A quiet bus back to the hotel – but people were just preparing for dinner. We took a walk into the centre of Altafulla and into the hotel Gran Claustre which has an excellent restaurant. Cava, Montsant red and white Priorat showcased a delicious four course dinner that was beautifully presented and utterly delicious.
