Wine and Culture 2005: The Magic of Spain

May 12 to May 27, 2005

  Estimated cost: $3795(excluding airfare)

Enjoy the wines of Penedes, la Rioja, Priorato, the Basque Country and Galicia with us and explore thousands of years of history in storied Spain.

ITINERARY:

Depart USA: May 12

Barcelona: May 13-17 (4 nights) Our adventure will begin in Barcelona. It is the ancient seat of Catalan language and culture, the vibrant home of the fantastic architecture of Antonio Gaudí, and was the host to the 1992 Olympics. Four nights in this exciting city will give us time to stroll along the Ramblas, explore the old Gothic quarter, and be astonished by the flamboyant modernist structures in the Eixample neighborhood (such as the still-unfinished church, Sagrada Família, with its swirling stone shapes which are partly covered with colorful tiles and mosaics and the Gaudí houses such as Casa Milà and Casa Batlló). For art lovers, the city has wonderful museums: the Museu Picasso, the Fundació Joan Miró and many more. Of course, we will sample the wines in the nearby regions of Penedes and Priorato. And we will savor the tastes and the atmosphere of this region, which maintains its own language and only reluctantly became part of greater Spain.

Possible day-trips:

1) To Figueres to the Dali museum

2) To Sitges beach town and art colony

3) To Poblet and/or Santes Creus monasteries

4) Wineries: Penedes for cava and Priorat for rich reds

May 13-Fri: arrival, city stroll, dinner

May 14-Sat: arrival (Jim et. al.) -Barcelona city exploration

May 15-Sun: Figueres…maybe Banyuls-Sur-Mer and Collioure

May 16-Mon: Aviño cava-split groups: 1) to Priorat wines and 2) to Poblet and Sitges

Haro: May 17-21 (4 nights) Then, from our base in the Rioja district in northern Spain, we will have not only fine Rioja wines to challenge our palates, but we will have charming towns, busy cities and beautiful countryside within our reach. We can visit the city of Bilbao with its celebrated new Guggenheim Museum, one of the world’s most celebrated and unusual recent structures.

Parts of this northern area are also home to a fascinating people, which may be the most ancient ethnic group in Europe…the Basques. They are famous for their seafaring, their independent spirit, their fantastic restaurants, and their unique language. San Sebastian (Donostia in the Basque language) is a lovely and elegant seaside city; here you can sample a unique range of tapas and other culinary delights, you can wander the streets of the old city and enjoy the harbor and the rugged coast. In a spectacular setting on that coast and in an expansive open-air museum, you can find the works of one of the most renowned Basque artists, the sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

Other potential stops:

1) To the monasteries of San Millán or Leyre

2) To the new museum of modern art in Vitoria (Gasteiz)

3) To Guernica

4) Tastings of delicious red and white wines from Rioja, Navarra and Basque country

May 17-Tue: travel from Barcelona to Haro; stop in Navarra region at Otazu winery

May 18-Wed: San Sebastian, Chillida installations, Basque country

May 19-Thu: Bilbao and the Guggenheim, Haro town and group wine instruction

May 20-Fri: split groups: 1) Rioja wineries and 2) Vitoria art museum and San Millan monastery

Oviedo: May 21-23 (2 nights) We will also explore some of the picturesque towns along the greatest pilgrimage route of the middle ages. For many centuries before the advent of modern transportation, the devout and the opportunistic from all parts of Europe crossed the Pyrenees and stopped at the towns and churches in this area on their way to pray in Santiago de Compostela. Perhaps no other pilgrimage route in Europe was as famous in the middle ages, and today believers still follow these paths.

Possible regional visits:

1) To Santillana del Mar and nearby mountain villages

2) To the restored country estate of my friend Pablo Pasqual near the Atlantic coast of Asturias

3) To Oviedo and the pre-Romanesque churches of Asturias

May 21-Sat: travel from Haro to Oviedo; medieval sites

May 22-Sun: possible visit to my friend’s country estate; mountain and coastal villages

Santiago de Compostella: May 23-27 (4 nights) Like medieval pilgrims, we will follow the valleys into the rugged north-eastern corner of Spain…into Galicia, a mountainous land surrounded by the wild Atlantic currents. This is a country of hearty fishermen and farmers, but the pilgrims who came from all over the continent to the grave of St. James brought many foreign influences. In the center of Santiago de Compostela is an ensemble of historic structures that has few equals in Europe. We will want to join the modern-day pilgrims in visiting these sites and in observing their devotion.

Possible day-trips:

1) To coastal wine and fishing villages (A Coruña, or Muros and A Toxa, for example)

2) Possible visits to some of the Corpus Christi festivities in Pontevedra or other towns

3) Crisp white Galician wines-Alberiño, etc.

May 23-Mon: travel from Asturias through the coastal mountains to the province of Galicia

May 24-Tues: city of Santiago de Compostela

May 25-Wed: Alberiño wine tour and/or coastal fishing villages in the Rías Baixas region

May 26-Thu: possible Corpus Christi events

Return to USA: May 27…or continue on for your private adventures.