We have now completed our basic training with Miquel after spending 17 intensive days together. Wine and politics have been recurring topics when driving from one vineyard to the next. Discussions have continued well into the night back at the hotel.
We’ve been given a solid grounding in how wine is produced and have studied the local red grapes Cariñena and Garnatxa which are used to make wine in Montsant and Priorat. We have sampled lots of fantastic white wines in Terra Alta and Penedés, made of Garnatxa, Parellada, Macabeu and Xarel-lo. As a kind of graduation celebration, we travelled around the Penedés region where 95% of all Cava is produced.
We met so many dedicated and wonderful people at the vineyards we visited. We were struck by how open and hospitable everyone is. There are no secrets here, rather the opposite. Everyone was happy to spend time talking to us and showing us around. A huge thank you to all the fantastic people who looked after us and have turned us into true wine enthusiasts!
Finally, we would like to thank Miguel for sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with us and letting us into his enormous network of contacts that stretches across all wine-related areas. We must also say a special thank you for all the homework we have been given, which often involved tasting many different types of wine. School has taken on a whole new meaning for us and we’d love to do more homework.