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Gourmet Empordà Tour
offered by supplier M19632 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 7
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 10
people
Destination(s):
Spain
Specialty Categories:
Food & Wine
Festival Tours
Season: January - November
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 1920 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2650 US Dollar (USD)
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The cooking school/hotel will be the base for explorations of surrounding medieval villages, authentic local restaurants, an olive oil mill, the Wild Coast of Catalonia, and area wineries (DO Empordà). See the blog post The Costa Brava in Spain. The region is ideal for slowing down. Without making too much effort, you can go for walks or bicycle rides (bicycles supplied at the hotel) in the countryside or drive to the beach (17 miles) and walk along the costal walkways. The medieval villages in the area are fascinating to explore, as are Girona, with a 13th-century call (Jewish Quarter), Figures, where the Teatre-Museu Dalí is found, and Cadaqués, a beautiful costal town where Dalí’s house is now a museum, All are a reasonable distance (15 minutes – 1.5 hours) from Madremanya.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Bagur Costa BravaArrival at your charming village hotel. Tapas and cava (Catalan sparkling wine) will be served before dinner, and you’ll meet Vicenç, your instructor for the week. Vicenç will make a tasting menu for dinner of regional in-season specialties, featuring dishes such as Coca (a Catalan type of pizza) topped with Minorcan sheep’s milk cheese, roasted vegetables, and anchovies from L’Escala, Squid with artichokes and green beans, or Grilled duck breast with a raspberry and redcurrant sauce, followed by, perhaps, crema catalana and a local sweet wine, Garnatxa d’Empordà.
Day 2: Today you will learn about the four bases of Catalan cuisine and what makes the cooking unique. Your cooking class will start at 11:00, and by 2:00 you will be enjoying your meal with the chef on the outdoor terrace or in the restaurant. The courses will be paired with local or national wines. After lunch you will explore two medieval villages of the region. We may visit a local cheesemaker or a winery, and then venture to a small coastal town on one of the most famed stretches of Catalonia’s exquisite Costa Brava (Wild Coast). Take a walk along the camí de ronda (seaside path) or a stroll along the beach. You will have a splendid dinner in a famed restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean.
Day 3: Today’s cooking lesson will take place in Palafrugell in the home of an outstanding local cook, Conxa. After shopping together at the daily outdoor market for ingredients, Conxa will share secrets of Catalan home cooking. In this hands-on class you prepare dishes such as faves a la catalana (Catalan style beans), esqueixada (salt cod salad), mar i muntanya (surf and turf), or canalons (cannelloni). A fish auction takes place that afternoon in the port town of Palamós as the fishing boats unload their catch. We return to the hotel to rest. Dinner in a traditional Catalan restaurant in a nearby medieval village.
Day 4: Today you will visit Girona’s fantastic food market with Jaume, the owner of the hotel and a renowned chef of the Empordà, buying the ingredients for your cooking class at the hotel. Dishes prepared will vary according to the season, and will feature fresh local produce, seafood and meats. After your four-course lunch paired with local wines, the day is free to take a walk or a bicycle ride (many pleasant routes in the area), lounge by the pool, or explore nearby Girona with its medieval call, or Jewish quarter.
Day 5: Today you will have a cooking demonstration in one of Catalonia’s most famous restaurants. After a luxurious lunch we visit two nearby Empordà family run wineries with the winemakers as guides. Option to visit the Dalí Museum in Figueres.
Day 6: Origen wineries have experienced a quiet revolution of late, experimenting with grape varieties and modernizing their methods. We will visit a biodynamic winery near the coast and have a winery lunch of lamb chops grilled over grape vine cuttings. After lunch we visit an olive oil mill and have a tasting of oils made from Arbequina and Argudell olives. Farewell dinner with local wines brings our gastronomic week to a delightful close.
Day 7: Breakfast in the hotel, followed by departure.
Notes: We provide transport for all program excursions and to Girona on the morning of departure. Ask us about arrival to the hotel from Girona or Barcelona. You may choose to rent a car in Girona for further explorations during your free time. We can help with car rental as well as indicating activities of interest and routes. Bicycles are provided at the hotel free of charge for the scenic rural bike paths from the hotel. There are walking paths starting near the hotel as well.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Dates:
- November 15-21 Olive Harvest
- January 12-17, 2010 Olive Harvest and the Fira de l'Oli i l'Olivera (Olive Festival).
Prices:
- $3825 for 2
- $3100 for 3-4
- $2650 for 5-6.
Price Includes:
- Accommodation for 6 nightskitchen door in Montblanc
- Daily breakfast
- 5 lunches and 5 dinners with wine
- 3 cooking classes
- 1 cooking demonstration
- Olive oil tasting
- Wine tasting
- English-speaking guide and cooking instructors
- Winery visits
- Visit to artisan cheese producer
- Olive oil mill tour
- Transport for group excursions
- Restaurant gratuities.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Spain
Local Culture
Food & Wine
Festival Tours
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, ext: 19632
