Wine tours in Girona: private tastings in the DO Empordà
In 1975, Juan Carlos de Borbón and Sofía of Greece, at the time the Prince and Princess of Spain, paid a courtesy visit to a farmhouse in the Empordà. Its owner was Josep Pla, a distinguished Catalan writer who, as well as writing, took on the farm work typical of the area. Although the future king and queen of Spain clearly did not come to that estate for one of the Empordà wine tours, looking at the photograph of the meeting it is easy to imagine that the farmhouse’s local produce was tasted with pleasure.
In fact, according to the press of the day, Josep Pla offered the future monarchs a bottle of wine from Mas Pla itself, along with several plates of home-made fuet and pancetta. All that local produce — today we would say “locally sourced” — was prepared at the farmhouse itself, in the municipality of Llofriu.
Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía enjoyed the local hospitality, setting aside artifice and protocol of every kind. Because in the Empordà, as in the other districts of the province of Girona, the traditional and the genuine have become the main mark of identity.
The ideal way to visit this area is calmly, unhurriedly, letting yourself be carried along by slow travel. A premium idea of travel built on authenticity, on a deep connection with the land, with the primal, with the true.
A luxury centred on calm, savoured without haste, through gestures as simple as sitting a monarch beside a fireplace to drink a glass of local wine while talking about literature, or having a cocktail on one of Girona’s rooftops and terraces.
The travellers who book Girona Tours are not heads of state or public figures (in fact, many of them are anonymous golfers drawn here by the 2031 Ryder Cup), but they do want out-of-the-ordinary experiences, ones that let them connect with the present moment more genuinely, enjoying the quality produce this land offers.
If you too want to enjoy yourself as Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía did, read on: this article on wine tourism in Girona will show you how your trip can become an unforgettable experience.
DO Empordà: tramuntana, sea and signature varieties
To understand what makes the wines of the DO Empordà original, tasting a glass is not enough: you also need to know and take in the landscape that saw them born and grow.
Josep Pla wrote that the vines of this land are the “element that gives the landscape its colour”. Over time, the Empordà’s vineyards have been shaped into a personality of their own by two untamed forces of nature that embrace each other passionately in this corner of the Mediterranean: the wild strength of the tramuntana and the salt breeze of the Costa Brava.
The uninitiated would logically assume that the tramuntana — a fierce north wind that lashes the vineyards without mercy — is the winegrower’s ancestral enemy, when in fact it is their greatest ally. This wind draws the moisture out of the soil at great speed, which forces the roots of the vines to work hard to seek out their substrate deep down in those slate and granite soils.
As a result, the grapes grown in the Empordà are far more concentrated, pure and full of minerality. And that shows in the wines that carry this denomination of origin.
On the private wine tours we organise at Girona Tours you will discover the district’s finest boutique wineries. Wineries that keep a sacred respect for their native varieties: grenache (known locally as lledoner) and carignan (called samsó in the area).
On these visits to local wineries you will not be looking at the industrial plants that are standard in other denominations of origin. Instead, you will step into small family estates — such as Josep Pla’s own Mas Pla farmhouse — which keep up the tradition of working the land in the same way their forebears did.
That generational know-how is still respected, but it has now been considerably improved by the most advanced oenological techniques, which many of those wineries apply to obtain wines of exceptional quality.
Private tastings at the best boutique wineries in the DO Empordà
In the private experiences we organise at Girona Tours we steer clear of crowded circuits. Instead we are going to give you something more exclusive and personal: we will pick you up with a private driver at your hotel in Girona and take you to the boutique wineries that interest you most.
And rather than a tour ruled by haste and endless checklists of activities, we will offer you an intimate encounter in which the estates open their doors exclusively for you.
We can tailor your tours to your interests, but if you would rather be advised by us, we recommend three essential stops that represent the peak of premium wine tourism in the Empordà.
Vins i caves Perelada
Designed by the studio RCR Arquitectes — winner of the celebrated Pritzker Prize — Perelada’s new winery is a work of art built into the ground.
It is defined by its complete symbiosis with the Mediterranean landscape, since the designers of this space used fine materials typical of the area. Alongside that, another important pillar of this winery is its absolute respect for sustainability, which has allowed it to become the first winery in Europe to obtain LEED Gold certification.
Enjoying a private tasting in any of its underground rooms — surrounded by barrels ageing in a silent, almost sacred setting — is a dazzling, sophisticated experience, the kind you remember for years.
Celler Martín Faixó
The Sa Perafita estate, in the municipality of Cadaqués, is home to a family project woven into the winegrowing tradition of the easternmost tip of the peninsula.
Its vines grow a few metres from the Mediterranean, at Cap de Creus, caressed by the Costa Brava breeze, which brings salinity and character to its grapes.
If you let us guide you, we suggest a private tasting on its terrace, where you will savour its signature wines with a unique view while the family’s oenologist explains how these wines connect directly with their origin.
And if you like the ravines of this area, the next day you have the option of booking a hiking and sailing route along the Camí de Ronda.
Mas Oller
This seventeenth-century farmhouse, surrounded by holm oak woods and gentle hills carpeted with vines, embodies the purest spirit of the terroir Josep Pla loved so much.
Its production under the Empordà denomination of origin is very limited. That is how they manage to keep the consistency and distinctive character of wines whose roots go back to the sixth century BC (we know that the Greeks were making wine on these same lands 2,600 years ago).
If you come with us to a private tasting, you will be able to try the wine straight from the oak barrel, just before it is bottled. And all of it paired with a selection of shepherd’s cheeses and oils from the estate itself.
In short: a deep, authentic experience, one that can satisfy a king and a writer turned farmer alike.
Can you imagine staying at Camiral Golf & Wellness and combining your rounds of golf with these winery visits? Shall we start arranging the logistics for these activities? Would you like to know more about the active tourism and premium sports activities we organise, which complement these winery visits perfectly?
If you would rather have a getaway already put together, we also have a three-day Empordà wine tour with transport and pairings included.