wine cellar

Visitors flock to Espluga de Francolí, near Tarragona, to purchase bottles recovered from mud

More than 8,000 bottles from the cellar of elBulli, Ferran Adrià’s renowned restaurant,, in Roses, will be sold in April in two auctions in Hong Kong and New York. The sale, organized by Sotheby’s, has an estimated price of between 1,1 and 1,6 million euros, and comes after Adrià decided to close the restaurant last year to focus on his foundation. The three-Michelin-star elBulli was considered to be the best restaurant in the world for five years in a row and was one of the most iconic places in the Catalan Costa Brava for almost three decades.

Alella wineries, in Greater Barcelona, have started this summer’s harvest, with predictions that this year’s vintage may be better than 2005 thanks to the absence of plant disease and favourable weather conditions throughout the year. For now, the only concern for winemakers is this August’s amount of heat, which could cause a drop in acidity.

Alella offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a wine culture in vineyards just 15 kilometres from Barcelona. One of the smallest and oldest Spanish wine appellations (DO), it is perfectly situated on the Mediterranean coast, protected by the Litoral mountain range. The cellars organise numerous activities for wine tourists of all ages where you can learn how to taste wine, take part in the harvest, find a connection between chocolate and wine or just stroll through the vineyards.

The vineyards grow in a stony land and the grapes are produced by organic agriculture. The small and young company aims to kick off its third vintage, which is expected to produce 50,000 bottles of organically certified wine.

The wine cellar ?Mas Blanch i Jové? is obtaining worldwide recognition for both its quality products and innovative projects. The cellar has recently begun a project entitled ?The Vineyard of Artists,? for artists to pay homage to the world of wine.