Autumn in Sitges, part 1

Autumn in Sitges, part 1

This autumn wouldn't be complete without Sitges hosting its 55a edició de la Festa de la Verema (55^th Harvest Festival), one of the most traditional local festivals in its annual agenda. 

The two-day event, took place on Saturday, October 8^th, and Sunday, October 9^th in the Rincón de la Fragata. The festival was officially opened in the Gold Room of the Palau Maricel with the proclamation of the harvest this year.

The weekend was packed with educational activities, wine-making traditions, and showcases a large number of wineries or bodegas, including activities for children. 

The event was well attended by wine aficionados and wine-lovers and enthusiastic filmgoers as the Festa de la Verema returns this year to coincide with the Sitges - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya.

A highlight of the event for me is watching the traditional grape treading competition, this year is the 38è Concurs de trepitjadors de raïm. And a Pubilla (the prettiest girl in town) is named annually at la Verema de Sitges. [Pubilla is an old Catalan term given to the eldest daughter destined to receive the family inheritance if there are no male heirs]

10a Mostra de Vins / The 10th Show of Wines

La Mostra de Vins featured a large number of exhibiting wineries of Sitges, the Garraf and Penedès, and there were many stands for venders of cheese, cakes and a host of other products which complement wine; this year also featured a stand dedicated exclusively to premium cavas (reserva and gran reserva) and PIMECAVA, the association of small and medium producers of cava.

There was a presentation of La Carretera del Vi (the Wine Road), a route which connects Sitges with Vilafranca i Sant Martí and was initiated last year. According to lacarreteradelvi.com, “it allows wine lovers to get acquainted with the ancient route that linked the vineyards in Penedès and the beaches of Garraf” (The project, the first of its kind in Spain, aims to recover the historical commercial route that was previously used by the Romans to export Penedès wines all over the world)…

This year, I had the pleasure of being in Haro (La Rioja) during their harvest, and had the pleasure of actually helped by picking a few kilos of grapes in a vineyard. Yes, it was a pleasure and yes, it is back-breaking, arduous work!

Cheyenne Crump, Navarrete (La Rioja) Harvest 2016

 Maturana de Navarrete, the grape variety indigenous to Navarrete (a small village in La Riojo) is what we picked one brisk morning. And the harvesting has solidified my love of wine. 

Taking me to the start of the winemaking process, and the long journey the fruit takes to become the beautiful elixir, we know to be wine.