NEWSLETTER

If you like wine, you can now enjoy the very best experiences as selected by the Government of Catalonia (2016):

Cava&Hotel Mastinell. Five-star hotel promoting wine culture through a variety of activities, such as wine and cava therapy treatments.

El Cigró d’Or. This restaurant uses locally sourced produce and it organises workshops, gourmet dinners and cultural gatherings.

Acadèmia Tastavins Penedès. The oldest Bacchic academy in Spain and organiser of the annual Vijazz (wine & jazz) Penedès festival.

Heretat Oller del Mas. Organic vineyard offering wine tours, a sports area and a slow-food local restaurant.

Celler Lagravera. Producers of biodynamic wines engaged in the research and preservation of the region's ancient grape varieties.

ViOrigen. Travel agency specialised in wine tourism.

A variety of restaurants are offering the chance to taste the best of Catalan cuisine with the ‘Som Gastonomia Menu’, based on locally sourced, seasonal produce.

The www.somgastronomia.cat website lists all restaurants that offer this type of menu. Catalonia is also home to over 45 top-quality gastronomic hotels, where friendly service and exceptional cuisine are guaranteed.

Catalonia's designation as European Region of Gastronomy 2016 came in recognition of the excellence of its internationally renowned cuisine and acclaimed chefs, such as Ferran Adrià, Joan Roca and Carme Ruscadella.

Opera Samfaina is the new multisensory experience during which 16 diners can enjoy a fantastical story told by Jordi Roca (El Celler de Can Roca, three Michelin stars), as they taste a selection of Catalan products paired with wine from six different DOs (wine regions), all set to music from the Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra and Choir.

Basketball fans can also enjoy the new NBA Café on the Ramblas, the first ever NBA restaurant in Europe. A 1200 m2 space packed full of NBA photos, memorable moments and merchandise, accompanied by a typical American menu.

El Altar is a restaurant located inside the iconic Boqueria Market, which offers a variety of food and wine-related activities and experiences. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to see a renowned chef cook in front of you… and just for you.

Finally, Alta Marea is the new restaurant with a 360º panoramic view located on the top floor of the Edifici Colon building, which offers its customers a unique experience with high quality food and one of the best views of Barcelona.

A boat departs daily from Estació Nàutica in Sant Carles de la Ràpita taking visitors on a relaxing tour to soak up the wonderful Alfacs Bay views. The trip passes by the hundreds of mussel and oyster beds in the area, where some 30 producers operate, including Granpa Agustí, with its blue beach bar in the middle of the bay which provides a stop-off point. Locally known as 'El Parrillo', it is open at weekends all year round, and every day during the summer months. 

The Mussel Route by Granpa Agustí was selected as 2016’s 'Best Tourist Experience' by the Government of Catalonia.

At the ceremony held on 23 November 2016 on the Costa Brava, Catalonia reaffirmed its position as a leading gastronomic destination with a total of 65 stars distributed among 54 restaurants.

For the first time, there is a restaurant in the city of Barcelona with three stars: Lasarte, run by Martín Berasategui. There are a further two restaurants in Catalonia with three Michelin stars: Restaurant Sant Pau (Costa Barcelona), run by Carme Ruscalleda, and El Celler de Can Roca (Costa Brava), run by Joan Roca.

There are also five restaurants with two Michelin stars: Abac, run by Jordi Cruz (Barcelona), Miramar, run by Paco Pérez (Costa Brava), Les Cols, run by Fina Puigdevall (Costa Brava), Enoteca, run by Paco Pérez (Barcelona), and Moments, run by Raül Balam (Barcelona).

Lastly, there are a total of 46 restaurants with one Michelin star, five of which have obtained their star for the first time this year: Céleri, run by Xavier Pellicer (Barcelona), Xerta, run by Fran López (Barcelona), Ca l'Arpa, run by Pere Arpa (Banyoles, Costa Brava), La Boscana (Terres de Lleida), run by Joël Castanyé, and L’Antic Molí (Costa Daurada), run by Vicent Guimerà.

...merry holidays and a happy new year 2017!

Belgians love bubbles! In 2015, Belgium imported about 30 million Cava bottles (13% of the total Cava production).

Grab a Cava bottle (and a dozen grapes for good luck) and toast to 2017 in Catalan style!

Some advice: The ideal way to taste cava is to (i) serve it between 5 and 8 degrees; (ii) avoid placing it in the freezer; and (iii) use a tulip-shaped flute glass.

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