THE WINE CATHEDRALS OF THE COSTA DAURADA (GOLDEN COAST)

Copes de vi

BARBERÀ DE LA CONCA

CABRA DEL CAMP

ESPLUGA DE FRANCOLÍ, L'

NULLES

VALLFOGONA DE RIUCORB

Modernism flourished at the beginning of the 20^thcentury and the agricultural cooperatives of the Costa Daurada (Golden Coast) wanted to turn their wineries into places of admiration. So, as wineries were created with this formula of work organization, small wonders of the wine-making architecture surged. Today these modernist wineries are known as Wine Cathedrals and this Tripidea is an excellent guide to make you a fan!

Etiquetes:

Costa Daurada, Catedral del vi, Celler, Vi, Celler modernista, Nulles, Barberà de la Conca, Gaudí

FROM NULLES TO ESPLUGA, PASSING BY VILA-RODONA AND BARBERÀ DE LA CONCA

The agricultural cooperative cooperativa agrícola de Nulles is probably the greatest exponent of this trend. César Martinell, disciple of Gaudí, is the architect. The imposing building, made of stone and brick, is designed so that light and temperature are regulated through its windows, playing a very favorable role in winemaking.

Stroll through the cooperative and imagine the splendid wine cellar during the 1920s. You can do it with a guided tour or with an organized event. For example, every first Friday of the month, from April to September, the cooperative organizes gastronomic dinners staged with pairings within the magnificent modernist naves of the winery. They call it the ViNitCultura, and it is a great success every time it is summoned. At the end of summer they also celebrate the ViNitFest, a unique experience with tasting, music, and of course, with the best wines they produce.

THE WINE TEMPLES

The cooperative winery of l'Espluga de Francolí motivated the writer Àngel Guimerà to create the term "Wine Cathedrals" to designate these wine-growing temples. It is the work of Pere Domènech and Roura and houses a museum of wine we recommend visiting. But it was not the first cooperative winery. This honor corresponds to the one of Barberà de la Conca, that was constituted in 1989 as the first cooperative of the State. The author is also Cèsar Martinell who designed a building with imposing façade and unique interiors.

Another of the agricultural cooperatives of the Costa Daurada (Golden Coast) is the one in Vila-rodona. It organizes guided tours to its facilities and when the night falls, the façade presents a perennial and magical illumination. And if you want more you can visit them in Alió, in Montblanc, in Cambrils (in the old agricultural union now turned into the Agricultural Museum of Wine and Oil), among others. In Catalonia there are some fifty modernist wineries. Most are concentrated on the Costa Daurada (Golden Coast).

COMBINING SPORT, WINE AND GASTRONOMY

It is better to taste a glass of wine if you have earned it beforehand. This is the idea suggested by the Walk & Wine proposal of the Bodega Mas Vicenç, in Cabra del Camp. The new concept in wine tourism consists in taking a Nordic walking tour among the vineyards of the winery while you learn what grape varieties they work and the type of soil they grow. In each edition of the Walk & Wine, which is organized periodically, you have the opportunity to taste the dishes of a good restaurant of the area accompanied by the wines of the winery. After the walk, now you deserve a good tribute!