The Mas Blanch i Jové winery has won the AWARD FOR WINE TOURISM INNOVATION from the La Vanguardia newspaper for the project “La Vinya dels Artistes” (The Artists’ Vineyard). The award was presented during the closing ceremony of the Barcelona Wine Week in Barcelona.

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Best White Wine 2023: Satèl·lit 2019 by Parès Baltà (DO Penedès) Best Sparkling Wine 2023: Claror Cava de Paratge Can Prats 2014 by Vins el Cep (DO Cava) Wine Identity Award 2023: La Pell Clarete 2019 by Lagravera (DO Costers del Segre) 25th Anniversary Award: Clos Figueras (DOQ Priorat) Professional Trajectory Award 2023: René Barbier, from Clos Mogador winery (DOQ Priorat) Best Wine Tourism Project 2023: Oller del Mas (DO Pla de Bages) Wine Tourism Innovation Award 2023: Mas Blanch i Jové (DO Costers del Segre).

MAS BLANCH I JOVÉ ON THE WINE ROUTE OF LLEIDA

Tourism proposals

When traveling to Lleida, don’t miss the opportunity to do wine tourism in its lands. The wine they produce is part of the Costers del Segre designation of origin.

Enological trip through the lands of Lleida

These are wines that grow in calcareous soils, under a Mediterranean climate with continental air, with cold winters and hot summers.

Check out the website of the Ruta del Vi de Lleida Association. There you will find all the news from the wineries, as well as a careful selection of restaurants and accommodations in the area.

Visiting a winery can be the perfect excuse to explore some of the seven production sub-zones of the DO: Segrià, Raimat, Artesa de Segre, Urgell, Pallars Jussà, Valls de Riucorb, and Garrigues.

For example, you can see how organic farming is practiced to offer quality wine. They will show you how they carefully pick their own grapes to make wine, and how they are self-sufficient thanks to their own sustainable agricultural operation (of wheat, barley, alfalfa, etc.) that feeds their pigs, cows, etc. Oh, and don’t forget to taste their olive oil, which they press right there.

Many wineries in this area, like others, open their doors after the summer for you to participate in the grape harvest, a long-standing event that is combined with celebrations in surrounding municipalities. As the vineyards are at different altitudes, and depending on the weather in summer, the harvest can start in August and end in October-November.

A recommendation. Go to tread the highest vineyards of the designation of origin, at 1,000 meters above sea level. There is a winery that ferments wine in a curious way. They use stone vats from the 12th century. If you taste them, you will notice that they are more aromatic wines.

And did you know that there are wineries that make wine from between the stones? The vines are planted in an old gravel pit and produce quality organic wine.

These are some recommendations, but at the Ruta del Vi de Lleida Association, they will give you many more. Are you already looking forward to tasting a Costers del Segre wine?”