The Vilafranca Wine Walk, a Flat Stroll Through the Vines

What it is

The Camí del Vi, or Wine Walk, is an interpretive path in Vilafranca del Penedès, the wine capital of the Penedès. It leaves from the tourist office, in the centre, and reaches the Torre de les Aigües, in the vineyards of Pacs del Penedès: 3.5 km on the flat, on foot or by bike. The first stretch is urban; then the path opens out among vines of xarel·lo, macabeo, moscatel and red varieties. Eight stations spread along the route talk about the passage of time: the hours of the day, the cycle of the seasons, how long it takes to grow a vine and make a wine, and the generations who have worked this land. It is free and open to all.

It is linear: the tourist office estimates three hours round trip, with stops.

The route step by step

1. Vilafranca tourist office, at Carrer Hermenegild Clascar, 2. Pick up the leaflet with the map there.
2. Urban stretch: through the streets towards the Pla del Diable and the sports area, with the first stations, which talk about the Penedès DO and how town and countryside live together.
3. Camí de la Bleda: here the dirt track through the vines begins. The stations explain since when vines have been grown in the Penedès (already the Iberians, and much more in Roman times), how a vineyard is formed, pruning and the tasks of each year.
4. Among the vines: the path continues with the rest of the stations and several points marked on the map: a stone vineyard hut (barraca de vinya), a rest area and a fountain; an analemmatic sundial, in which you act as the gnomon and your shadow marks the solar time; and the barrels station, which explains what a young wine, crianza, reserva or gran reserva is.
5. Torre de les Aigües: the end, a water tower from the early 20th century in the middle of the vineyards. From here you return the same way.

For children

The Penedès Tourism Consortium offers the Seasons Game (Juego de las Estaciones), a sheet you download from its website and fill in along the way. It gets children to look for the stations and pay attention to what they read. The route is flat and the tourist office considers it suitable for pushchairs.

Getting there and parking

Vilafranca is on the AP-7 and has a Rodalies station on the R4 line, less than an hour from Barcelona. From the station, the tourist office is a few minutes' walk. By car, the leaflet's map marks a car park on the route.

When to go

In spring the vines bud and the green is intense; in September and October, with the grape harvest and the leaves changing colour, is the best time. In summer the path has no shade: go first thing or at the end of the afternoon, with water and a cap. In winter the vines are pruned and bare, but the walk is done in pleasant temperatures.

With a dog and by bike

With a dog, on a lead in the urban stretch and without going into the vineyards, which are private land. By bike it is a short, flat ride; bear in mind that it shares the path with walkers.

Complete the day

In Vilafranca is the VINSEUM, the museum of the wine cultures of Catalonia, right in the centre. A quarter of an hour by car away is Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the capital of cava, with the Cava Centre and cellar visits. For a meal among the vines, Castelo de Pedregosa, on the outskirts of Sant Sadurní, has a wine bar and restaurant.