Where to dine Between bodegas, settle in for classic Catalonian cuisine at Cal Xim, a cozy restaurant in the village of Sant Pau d’Ordal whose flame-licked seafood dishes stand out for their freshness. At the latter, spend a day behind the scenes trailing vintners and disgorging cava bottles on the house's “A Day With Us” tour. Off the tourist track but equally worthwhile are family-owned cava houses like Pares Balta, Recaredo, and Caves Félix Massana. Though both bodegas stand out for their expert tours and massive barrel rooms, Codorníu has a slight edge over Freixenet for its modernist architecture, underground train, and easily digestible museum. Cava’s most ubiquitous producers, Codorníu and Freixenet, are best known for their low-end bubbly, but visit their soaring cellars, and you’ll be rewarded with complex reservas and a hefty dose of history. Where to taste Penedès is home to more than 300 wineries, so it helps to visit with a game plan. “Vinotherapy” treatments may seem redundant after a day spent wine tasting, but trust us-they aren’t. But to truly slow down, stay at Mastinell, an ultra-modern retreat plopped in the center of a rolling vineyard. Of its 61 rooms, a whopping 30 are suites, lending the hotel an unhurried residential feel. Home base Almanac Barcelona, open since November 2017, is the luxurious, minimalist, and unpretentious hotel the Catalonian capital so desperately needed. Four wheels do come in handy, however, if you’d like to tour any of the region’s smaller wineries. You don’t even need a car to visit the iconic bodegas of Codorníu and Freixenet, both of which are located within walking distance of the Sant Sadurní d’Anoia train station. Getting there If you have a day to spare in Barcelona, zip down to Penedès, cava country, to learn how the famous Spanish sparkler is made.
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