Pictures of the Pottery Fair in Quart, Barcelona

Wine and Truffles

I just got back from a weekend in Somontano, and spent most of last week visiting wineries in the Penedes and Catalunya regions. Some of the highlights were the 87 Parxet anniversary Cava from the DO Alella (the smallest DO in Spain, located about 25 minutes north of Barcelona), the Jané Ventura winery (lots of interesting varieties and a genuine love for the region that shows itself in the wines), and some of the new 2007 whites that we got to taste.

While I was up in Somontano, I got the chance to talk to a couple of people about the upcoming Truffle season, which begins this week and goes until early March. We are working to get a group together to go truffle hunting in mid-January, check the website for updates!

XVIII Pottery Fair in Quart (Girona)

Just one tour outside of Barcelona in the lovely village of Quart, the XVIII Pottery Fair will be held December 7-9. The star of the show will of course be the ceramics and pottery, although I am looking forward to some of the other headlines as well. This year the side shows include a traditional Sardanas concert, a dance of the Giants (baile de gigantes), a chocolate expo, and a cooking with ceramics show, as well as a petanca tournament (a popular game similar to horseshoes). Quart has a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the best ceramics in Catalunya, and we are happy to have the chance to get up there for this year’s show. I’ll let you know how it goes…