Following our visit to Montserrat Monastery, we were sent to Codorníu to learn about their business and the cava-making process. It was an insightful visit that I, who is new to wine, had a great time and learned plenty.
On the ride toward the business, you drive through a large vineyard that grows grapes for the three cava producers in the area. The scenery was beautiful, but little did I know the information and visuals that were ahead of me.
The winery dates back to 1551, making it the oldest winery in Spain. Over the centuries, it has remained family-connected and played a major role in shaping the cava industry, including producing Spain’s first traditional-method sparkling wine in 1872. Today, its historic cellars stand as a symbol of both its deep roots and lasting influence on winemaking.
One of the first things we saw when we entered the main building was the promotional posters from the past. As a marketing girlie, I was so excited to see this. Apparently, a contest was held for local artists to illustrate the promotional posters, and a select few won and were displayed across the area. It was amazing to see these and compare them to alcohol promotions of the present. In addition to seeing the posters that were selected, we were able to see a few that barely missed the mark.
We wove through the building, learning about the company’s history as well as the history of the buildings we were walking alongside. Our guide stopped outside of a pavilion enclosed in glass to explain the winemaking process to us. Behind him was winemaking equipment that he pointed to as he explained the process to us. It was interesting to learn about this process early in the tour because I gained a greater understanding of the process the longer I was there.
The next area we walked to was full of barrels of cava. It was not usual to see the barrels that are commonly thought of as being used for aging whiskey and bourbon; however, there were a few much larger barrels visible as well. Additionally, the entire area smelled of wine. It was shocking at first.
Our next stop was the cellar. We were warned about the humidity since the wine needs to stay at a certain humidity to ferment and age properly. Walking down the stairs, I was expecting some terrible humidity; however, I have experienced Mississippi summers with worse humidity.
The cellar is comprised of a large tunnel system housing many bottles of wine on racks throughout the tunnels. To easily get around, a street system has been mapped out. Apparently, in the past, someone got lost in the cellar and wasn’t found until three days later. Of course, being surrounded by endless bottles of wine, he was found in the same condition as almost anyone would be in that situation. He was recovered drunk, but are we surprised?
Hopping on a small train, we were guided through the tunnels so we could see more of the cellar. It was such a fun and interesting experience. There were even little bits of history that you could see and learn about while down there.
Once the train ride was over, we squeezed our entire group into a large elevator to take us to the wine tasting room. It was beautiful! The tables were actually made with old cava barrels painted white.
For the wine tasting, we were provided with the traditional snacks available at wine tastings and served two glasses of the most popular wines they offer. One was a classic Codorníu Cava, and the other was an Anna de Codorníu Cava. I definitely enjoyed the Anna de Codorníu Cava much more than the classic one. The classic was a bit too bitter for my liking.
Leaving the wine tasting room, we were directed to the shop and had the opportunity to purchase any of the wine available as well as momentos from our time there.
This was a fantastic experience that I am glad to have had. In one little trip, I went from knowing nothing about wine-making to having the basics of the process stored in my brain.
I definitely recommend checking out Codorníu winery on your next visit to Spain. They offer many different experiences that are perfect for anyone, wine connoisseur or not.
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