HARVEST TIME IN SPAIN! S e p t e m b e r 2 1 s t - 29th, 2 0 1 9 Spain is the third largest wine producer in the world after France and Italy and boasts the largest vineyard surface area of any nation in the world! The highly rated cuisine combines culinary traditions, fresh produce, Mediterranean diet, and avant-garde Catalan techniques. And the art, architecture, tradition and history are so compelling. We will experience all this and more during Harvest in Spain! TRIP ITINERARY D A Y 1 Meet i n M a d r i d , S p a i n 10:00am Vino Venue will provide transportation from the Madrid airport on this day only. We will depart from Terminal 1 at 10:00am. 1:00pm We will stop in Ribera Del Duero for lunch and our first tasting at Lagar de Isilla! This is a very historic winery dating back to the 15th century. Lunch will be cooked on their open pit where they use wine vines for fuel. 3:00pm Back on the bus and on to our accommodations. 5:00pm Get checked in. Get unpacked, rested, take a walk around the village… 7:30pm We will have our private chef make a special welcome dinner for us at our villa. Local wines will be served as we delve into this region! Get a good night’s rest in this country setting so that you are ready for day two in Rioja! D A Y 2 R i o j a - L o g r o n o 8:30am Eggs over easy? 9:30am First stop is Marchese de Riscal. Founded in 1862, the winery the first to bottle wine for commercial sale in Rioja. Today it’s just as famous for its modern architecture designed by Frank Gehry. 12:00pm Off to Logrono to wander the town and then experience Calle Laurel – a street filled with tapas eateries - with our private tour guide! 3:30pm We are on our way to visit Contino for a tour and tasting. Contino is a boutique winery and the cellar dates back to the 16th century. 6:00pm Private dinner at Vina Real. 9:30pm Back to the villa. D A Y 3 Basque Country 7:30am Start the day right! Breakfast time! 8:00am On our way to Bilbao…the heart of Basque country and one of the most celebrated Culinary regions in Europe. Bilbao is also home of the Guggenheim. 10:00am We will make a stop to meet mountain shepherds that make Idiazabal cheese. The farm is run by a former Olympic female wrestler! Our stop will include meeting the sheep. We will also experience the cheese making process and taste several types that they produce, accompanied by a red Rioja Alavesa wine. 11:30am Continue to Bilbao. We will take a walking tour that includes stroll by the Gughenheim as well as other iconic places in the city. Learn about a members-only Gastronomic Society (also called Txoko). This a tradition unique to the Basque Country. We will lunch at a classic Asador know for traditional Basque recipes. 4:00pm Depart Bilbao for a visit to Bodegas Itsasmendi producing Txakoli, the delightful Basque slightly sparkling, dry white wine. 6:00pm Transfer back to our villa and freshen up for dinner. 8:30pm Walk to dinner at La Parra. The family owned business grows many of its own vegetables and raises its own beef that they grill to perfection! D a y 4 Exploring Rioja 8:30am Enjoy a made-to-order breakfast! 9:30am Depart for the charming medieval walled city of Laguardia, overlooking the Ebro river. The city is closed to traffic and ideal for a picturesque stroll. Enjoy some free time! 1:00pm We will move on to CVNE, pronounced Cuné. Enjoy a tour, tasting and lunch at CVNE with one of their Sommeliers. Lunch will be a traditional Riojan menu! 5:00pm Close to CVNE is the town of Haro. Haro will be celebrating The Holidays Of Nuestra Señora De La Vega which is a very festive time in this city! We will have time to wander the town, shop, or just people watch! 7:00pm We will meet up and walk to dinner at the Familia Montana. We will visit this winery’s Calado – an ancient subterranean bodegas excavated underground. No one knows how many centuries ago they were built. 9:30pm Back to the villa for a good night’s rest. D A Y 5 Transfer To P e n e d e s 6:30am Our earliest day! But you can snooze on the bus. 7:30am After breakfast we will pack up and depart our charming villa for the Penedes, travelling by comfort in our private touring bus. We will make a quick stop on the way to refresh! 1:30pm We will stop at Mont-Marçal Vinícola for a tasting, tour and lunch. This estate was originally a convent and now a producer of excellent Cava. 4:30pm Next we will hop back on the bus for the short distance to our boutique hotel, Hotel Palou, in the center of the beautiful town of Sant Pere de Ribes. Down time! 8:00pm Walk to dinner at Clubhouse 27. D A Y 6 P e n e d e s - A Day Of Cava! 8:00am Breakfast in the courtyard, weather permitting! 9:00am Our first stop is Raventos. This sparkling house has been family owned for 5 centuries! They are doing ground breaking work including starting a new DO. We will hear about their philoswophy and tour their vineyard in an open Landrover, weather permitting. 12:00pm Depart for our next experience! Torres wines are known throughout the world. We will lunch at their restaurant Mas Ravell and taste several of their wines. 4:00pm Back to our hotel for some downtime! 7:00pm Depart for the coastal town of Sitges. We will have a drink overlooking the ocean and dine on seafood tonight! Can you say oysters and bubbly?! 10:30pm Back to Palou Hotel. D A Y 7 B a r c e l o n a 8:00am Pisto con Huevo (Ratatouille with Fried Egg)? Yumm!! 9:00am We depart for Barcelona and first some free time around Poble Español. 11:30am On to a cooking class! Our recipes will be from famous local chefs. We will dine on what we’ve created paired with some wonderful wine offerings from the area. 2:30pm We will head to the area of Passeig de Gracia. Time on your own to shop, explore or people watch! 5:00pm We will depart for the city center where we will start our cultural and culinary tour. Several famous sites will be on our itinerary. And we will taste tapas from all areas of Spain as well as drink specialties. 9:00pm Back to the hotel. Get a good night’s rest! Our last day will be a big one! D A Y 8 P r i o r a t 8:30am Sugared churros with coffee! 9:30am We will depart for our visit to the area of Priorat and sample some wonderful Garnacha (Grenache) wines. This small wine appellation, with 1,700 hectares of vines and just over 60 bodegas, lies in Catalonia. 11:00am We will begin our tasting at Celler Vall Llach. We will learn about their practice of controlled micro production and taste some exceptional wines that come from their ancient Carignan vines. 1:00pm Lunch in a local restaurant in the quaint town Porrera. 3:00pm Off to an olive oil producer and to see the process from growing to harvesting to pressing. 5:00pm We will hop aboard our bus for an hour’s ride to the beautiful town of Cambrils. You will have time to wander the city on your own before our amazing dining experience! 8:00pm Our finale dinner will take place at a known Michelin restaurant called Can Bosch. Can Bosch started out as a humble fisherman’s bar and now is an acclaimed destination boasting that they put “the sea on the plate”. This will be a lasting culinary memory. 10:30pm Back to the hotel with full tummies! D A Y 9 H e a d h o m e or extend your stay! 8:30am Our last breakfast! 10:00am Transportation to Barcelona’s airport is included this morning only. We will depart our hotel at 10:00am and arrive at Sants Station at approximately 10:45am. P r i c e $4699 double occupancy PLUS travel insurance. $5549 single occupancy PLUS travel insurance. Travel insurance is required. Insurance will be quoted on a case by case basis and provided through Debbie Ruskin with Vino Venue. Your Spanish Experience Will I n c l u d e ✓ Transfers from Madrid airport to villa ✓ Transfers from hotel to Barcelona airport ✓ All ground transportation during stay ✓ Special Wine Hosts from Vino Venue ✓ Eight (8) nights of accommodations ✓ Private cooking class ✓ All scheduled off-site tours ✓ All breakfasts ✓ All lunches and dinners NOT INCLUDE D • Airfare • Travel insurance Debbie Ruskin will be happy to help with any pre-trip or post-trip travel plans. [email protected]. Page 7 of 9 Terms & Conditions from Vino Venue Luggage Traveler should pack so that you may transport your own Activities, Tours, Excursions, Meals luggage as required to and from the bus and into our In the event any tasting, tour, meal or experience accommodations. listed in this itinerary should change due to matters beyond our control, it will be replaced with a similar Living Standards quality experience.