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Wine Tour and Lunch
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016
It's off on another tour and lunch, this time with no guide, only our trusty driver, Montsi, and her Mercedes van
Mas Martinet
One of the "Big Five" wineries of the Priorat
The Big Five are credited with revitalizing the vines and wines of the Priorat, starting around 1980.
In the 1990's there were only 15 or so wineries in the Priorat.
Today there are over 100
It was a beautiful morning
This is an old...something
Many old wine barrels are being used to raise veggies
Waiting for Antonia to show us around
We all piled into and old Ford pickup
The girls in the cab with Antonia and the boys in back
After a short ride on the highway
We headed up the hill
It was a little difficult getting in and out because the tailgate was permanently stuck.
This was our first stop, about halfway up
Some of the boys decided it would be easier to stay in the truck rather than climb down
According to Antonia, Josep Lluis Perez, the founder of Mas Martinet, invented the hooped trellising system.
Getting near the top
Up and up and up we went
We made it!
Sara, Josep's daughter and now proprietor and winemaker, was responsible for reclaiming these terraces and planting the highest vineyard in the Priorat
Our vineyard limo
Great views from up here, overlooking most of the Priorat and looking toward we were on Monday at the top of the cliff facing us.
Antonia brought meats and cheeses and bread as well as a couple bottles of excellent wine.
It was a perfect setting and perfect weather, great friends, great wines and lots of fun.
Only a slight breeze to keep us cool
I wanted to just grab some food and slurp some wine, but I was patient.
Hurry up, Antonia!
Now we're talking
Garnatxa Negra, Garnacha, Grenache, call it what you will, it's excellent!
As was the blend
Parting the scene
Greg is carrying the empty glasses
The ride back
The trend is to use amphorae for fermenting the grapes
And Sara has taken to aging some of her wines in large glass carboys. I can't remember what they call them in Catalan.
Also, of course, some new French oak.
We tasted some wine straight from the barrel. It seemed ready to bottle to me but what do I know?
Final tasting was in the actual tasting room
And here we all are: John, Kelly, Jan, Antonia, Skip, Josie, me, Lorri and Greg
I think this is the View from our lunch spot, Restaurant Amics at Buil & Gine.
Another great view of the Priorat
This was to be an excellent lunch
The food was great but the menus were all in Spanish or maybe Catalan
Fortunately, the chef was able to come to the table and explain it all in English.
It didn't matter. Everything tasted as good as it looks.
These above were just the aperitivos!
The salad
The wine
The chef
The bread
The dessert
The young couple from England
More dessert
Can you see the little town right in the middle of this photo? The Priorat is dotted with villages like this.
If you find yourself in this area, I highly recommend this company
And our driver, Montsi, short for Montserrat, a common name in Catalonia
She spoke zero English but somehow understood and was able to communicate.
Back at the villa, safe, sound and satisfied. Time for cocktails!