The Harvest Celebration, for the enjoyment and discovery of wine

Barcelona (Gastroteca.cat).- For yet another year L'Espluga de Francolí in Tarragona will celebrate the flavour of its wine harvest, which has a Guarantee of Origin of Conca de Barberà. This is possible thanks to a very special event: the 40^th Harvest Celebration, an event that pays tribute to both its wines and the people who make them.

For an entire weekend, the 28^th and 29^th of August, the Casal square in l'Espluga will offer a range of wines and products of the earth. There, everyone will be able to enjoy and taste wines, cava and sweets from different cooperatives and craftsmen of the area. The main goal of the celebration is to “make the wine and cava of Conca de Barberà known, promote the cellars and spread wine culture to even more people”, says Dolors Domènech, councilwoman for Celebrations and Sport of l’Espluga de Francolí. This is why, according to her, this year there are 27 tasting stands.

Among the many acts organised, all of them have in common the world of wine, Domènech stressed the presentation of the wines that won the 20^th Wines and Cava of Conca de Barberà contest. “All of them (wines coming from the Grup Castell d'Or, Gatzara Vins, Vinícola de Sarral and Carlania Celler) have the Guarantee of Origin in Conca. They all reflect the freshness that characterises them and show the wine tradition of the area”, says Domènech.

The wine-tasting contest (in which people are blindfolded) is new to this year's program and aims to reach out to the public. The contest will be divided into 3 tests in which participants will have to guess the quality and characteristics of the white, rosé and red wines of the Conca de Barberà Guarantee of Origin.

When the Harvest approaches, this regional celebration is organised in l'Espluga de Francolí. It is the most important festive offer of the year and has the most participants. It consists of a wide range of wines and cava and visitors are able to visit the cellars. Last year, more than 2,000 people participated in this celebration, and this year they hope to have even more people. “We expect more visitors to come, as we have innovations this year, such as the blindfolded wine-tasting, which is an activity that people like”.

The Harvest Celebration, which has been celebrated for 40 years old, aims to promote the wines of the area. “We have changed the format of this event due to the transformation of the society, but the essence remains the same: to promote our wines”, says Domènech. It is not just the 40 year anniversary of the event; it has also been 25 years since the Guarantee of Origin of Conca de Barberà joined this traditional wine celebration.