Kimberly and myself, Kyle are currently traveling the world by bicycle and loving every second of it. We have been traveling since 31 March 2011 and have gotten through the good and the bad times only with the love in our hearts and and tons of determination, and food fueling us forward.
Strange night on the volunteering front. Kim and I worked all day outside, picking up the Russian's slack. Our two volunteering companions have been complaining about the amount of work that we are expected to do from day 1.
We like the work. There is nothing quite like building up a hard sweat during the day and then getting rewarded for it with a big meal and plenty of fine wines to enjoy in the evening.
We moved one pile of sticks to another pile of sticks to start the day. After several small tasks had been completed Kim mowed the property and I rotivated the last of the 3 orchards. Work was done at 5pm and after relaxing for about an hour we came in to help with dinner.
Shortly after starting the prep work an argument started between Anthony and Margarita. Things were said about the amount of work and the quality of the food, but Kim and I avoided the confrontation like the plague.
By the time it was all said and done the 2 Russian girls were asked to leave and dinner was an hour late. The last week of our volunteering will be done with only ourselves as company, that has never been a problem.
When it was all said and done I think that we will benefit from less negativity and will get a larger portions of food to enjoy at dinner.
Kim, Anthony (GM of WinePleasures), and I arrived at Can Rafols dels Caus. We road along the winding gravel, past rows upon rows of grape vines to our west and limestone mountains to the east. The Bruton Ladies Wine Club from Somerset, England was waiting for us under the giant arched entrance to the estate. The heavy wood gate was only partially opened which made me have the feeling of being an invited guest and not a tourist.
Along with the welcoming front entrance the first ones from the greet us that were from Can Rafols were the dogs. Two white dogs of origins unknown to me, one of which was monstrous. He was like a mix of The Beast from The Sandlot and Falkor the Dragon (dog) from The Neverending Story. And just like those two he was a gentle giant.
Once we were all gathered together just beyond the gate the tour guide took main stage. She was English and pretty young but had clearly been in the Catalonian region of Spain for some time. We gathered around the guide on an area that overlooked the main grape growing plots and a good bit more of the property. It was really awesome seeing such well maintained grounds, the mountains in the distance, and the beautiful old house that was situated a short ways behind us. Amanda did a great job explaining the philosophy and growing style of the vineyard.
Can Rafols had an organic and natural way of managing the property. To give an idea of how organic, she explained how they chose not to weed the plots. The weeds would hopefully bring in little critter and bugs that may not normally be present in a well groomed inorganic vineyard. Those bugs and critters were then supposed to eat any bugs that would normally be present at and dangerous for the grape vines.
I am still not convinced that this process didn't originate when someone was either lazy or just had to much to look after, to do the weeding. Either way, they use an extremely natural pest control system now, that they claim is 70% affective and helps Can Rafols to skip out on pesticides completely. Well done.
The tour continued and started feeling more like what it was, a tour. Can Rafols has clearly been on the rise. Maybe because being organic is so trendy now. All of the "old" methods were the first things that were talked about. The former grape stomping area. The outdoor hopper that was used to separate the grapes from the stem. I guessed that we would be seeing the newer more modern facilities later.
Amanda took us on a trek up the side of the mountain explaining just about every detail of the natural environment and how it affects everything they produce. From the limestone that the roots of the grape vines clung to giving the wine a slight mineral taste to the Mediterranean Sea sending salty breezes from the east that helped moisten the crop. It was all explained. And though I wasn't expecting to learn so much detail, I am so happy that it was shared with us. The knowledge of the arid environment that the grapes were grown in really shined through when trying to pick out complex flavors and aromas during the wine tasting.
We made our way back down the mountain where the group was finally introduced to the entrance of the new facilities. And what an entrance it was. The wine production area and cellar had literally been carved out of the side of the mountain. The doors we were to use to gain access to the interior were made of solid granite. Both of them being at least 2ft thick, slowly parted in the middle and allowed us to enter autonomously. The property's owner wanted, “the mountain to open up and welcome you in".
The guide detailed the interior in the same manner as she had the exterior of the property. Every vat, walking platform, and natural limestone wall was talked about at length. We definitely learned more about the operations of Can Rafols than we had imagined.
Then cellar at the rear of that facility was immense. The group was introduced to the aging barrels via a 2nd floor balcony that overlooks the room in its entirety. The first sensation to hit me upon entry was the rush of cool and humid air. And after the initial oooing and ahhing we moved down to the main floor where we could really soak in the entire room.
The original sensation presented by the cellar had coalesced into a magical aroma of wooden barrels, the rich grape smell of aging wine, and intense smell of earth. The weight of the mountain made the walls leak water and the atmosphere of the room press down on you. It was a wonderful place.
Amanda led us out of the cellar and up towards the main house of the estate. On the way up we passed one of the cooler features of the property. A concrete ball at least twenty feet tall held up a corner of a building above. Amanda asked the group if we had eaten breakfast and if we were feeling strong. After a short laugh, we along with the Bruton Ladies Wine Club were instructed to put our hands on the giant sphere. Amanda counted down from three and we started our counterclockwise rotation of the concrete ball. It had no functional reason for being on a vineyard, but really ended up being a highlight of the tour. It brought the group together as whole, which made the coming wine tasting much more relaxed and enjoyable. It was a great addition to the estate.
We finally made it into the house. It was a beautiful place that was a mix of kind of old and really old styles. Kim and I being from the U.S. still aren't used to houses being described as, "one wing was built in the 15th century and the other in the 18th century". But the place was beautiful restored and wonderfully decorated with original paintings and vino themed statues.
The wine tasting room was waiting for us. It was full of light and warms colors. In the center of the room was an oval, linen covered table with space for eleven. We sat in anticipation of the wine that was soon to be poured into our waiting glasses and eager faces.
We left Rimarts slightly buzzed and extremely happy. Kim and I set off towards our 2nd mystery vineyard with little idea of where exactly it was located. Our workaway host, Anthony had drawn a couple of lines on a local map. We figured that the map and GPS that I have would be able to get us there, no problem.
Kim and I fuelled by Cava and excitement, paced down the road through some beautiful wine country. We were constantly riding along side vineyard that had such unique and vivid colours. You could tell the difference between plots of grapes by the different shades of green leafs shooting off the vines.
Most of the farming roads that we have traveled on in Spain will occasionally bring us through a small farming town, and this road was no different. To us most of these villages have started to meld into a mix of old and new houses that are only slightly unique.
So to us the best thing about the ride was definitely seeing the wine country that rolled along with the hills, but if you are new to Spain there are some charming villages along the way. We always love having fresh road under our tires, so it felt good to be riding somewhere that we have never been before. Especially after being in one spot volunteering for a week.
I'm not sure if it was the stress of not knowing exactly were to go and being on a timeline or the wine that started to affect me but Kim and I started having some communication issues. Needless to say all of these things added up and I ended up getting us lost and headed in the wrong direction, down the wrong road.
Luckily we didn't get far before realizing our mistake so it wasn't that big of a deal. We finally figured out exactly where we were and where we needed to be, and set off once more in the right direction.
We pedalled most of the rest of the way in silence, surrounded by gorgeous country. Kim and I had taken a road that ran parallel to or destination so on the loop back around we reentered the valley of the grapes. At the edges of the valley limestone foothills rose up and further out we could see the mountains that separated the wine country from the Mediterranean Sea.
As we road along the cross road when our wine tasting guide Anthony pulled up from behind us in his van, to see if we were doing okay. After talking with him we realized that our getting lost wasn't exactly our fault. The roads had been under construction and no longer followed the map.
We had a laugh about our mishap and then took advantage of the trailer hooked to the back of the van. I quickly loaded our bikes up and went the final 8km the easy way. We were eager to get to more wine tasting and didn't want to miss the group. And we are happy that we did so because the second vineyard was even better that the first.
Rimarts Cava is the first winery that Kim and I have ever had the opportunity to visit. And I don’t think that we could have started our wine tasting careers at a better spot in the world.
Immediately upon entry, through the sliding glass doors, we were shown past the sleek and clean, modern reception area and into the main wine tasting room. The environment felt comfortable, and the Cava was instantly popped and poured into glasses that were sitting in wait of us.
Kim and I did not know much about the winery that we would be visiting first. We only knew that Rimarts was a family owned business that had been a fine Cava producer in the region for many years. We have since learned that Cava is a sparkling wine that is produced using the traditional methodology. It is generally a white wine that is created from the Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarelo-lo grapes. And 95% of Cavas are made in the Penedes region of Catalonia, about 40 km west of Barcelona.
Our mission for the day was to taste different fine wines, view the wine making process as outsiders and to ride out bicycle to a second location were we would get another taste of the workings of a vineyard and more fine wine. Needless to say Kim and I were so happy to be given the opportunity to take part the days activities.
So back to our favorite part, the wine tasting. The first cava that we tasted was Cava Rimarts Brut Nature. It was so smooth and refreshing, unlike most sparkling wines that I have tried. The flavors were all so crisp and defined. The bubbles were not the fastest which seemed help to keep sharpness from taking over the fruity, sweet flavors.
After the first drop of Cava hit our lips things slowed down and we really got to get a good feel for the place. The wood paneled walls added warmth to the modern décor. The hosts also brightened up the place. The brothers, Ernest (winemaker) and Ricard Martínez (Marketing and sales) who run the business together clearly loved there jobs and wine that they produced. Rimarts felt very urban but was situated in a way that just outside the windows we could miles of vineyards sprawling out away from the city.
Next we headed through the loading dock and towards the cellar, where all of the actual wine making takes place. As we go through the door of the stairwell and start going down the atmosphere immediately changed. The straight modern lines of upstairs gave way to a rustic wine cellar that was full of aging wine bottles and tons of character.
Ernest told us about the process of aging the wine in the bottles and meticulously spinning that tilting them as to let the sediment settle at the top. Through his English wasn't the best he made up for it with his enthusiastic tone and gestures. His descriptions started to shed new light on just how much this family cares for the Cava that they have been producing for generations.
We then moved on to the next room of the cellar where one of the coolest things in the whole process takes place. It’s called the disgorging, which is the act of extracting the sediment from the wine bottle. Most companies will freeze the bottles and remove the sediment along with a Cava ice cube. But that is NOT what Rimarts does. They actually use the hands on approach that has been passed on through their family for generations.
As the ladies gathered around and Ernest showed us how clear the Cava had become over its 12 month bottle storage and sediment settling stage. It was crystalline. We were told to get close and keep our eyes on the top of the Cava bottle. What we then witnessed took only a fraction of the second. He popped the cap off and instantaneously covered the spewing Cava with his thumb. The pressure from the sparkling wine sent the sediment flying and left a perfectly clear bottle. Then with a few seconds and a lot of finesse Ernest removed his thumb. The pressure had subsided and the bottle was left glistening in the back-lighting. He then passed the bottle around and let us catch the fruity crisp aromas in our eager noses. The rest of the bottling process was explained and every stage was just as enlightening as the last.
It was so amazing to see such care and craftsmanship going into every bottle. The company, being run by only the two brothers, has managed to bring together the classical methodology with a new world feel. And we could really taste that in the Cava. I had originally imagined the bottling facilities to be mechanized, but was so happy to find that the crisp, clean flavors had come from the process that Rimarts had been using for generations.
We then went back upstairs to the wine tasting room where we sampled one more Cava. Kim and I then had to head out a little early just so that we could be sure to make it to the next vineyard. We left a room full of ladies from the Bruton Wine Club praising highly the quality of the cavas with Wine Pleasures GM posting tasting notes on social media sites such as adegga and vinogusto.
Rimarts fits so much into such a small package and all of it is great! We could not have been happier as we settled into our saddles and peddled on to the next place. We didn't think that our day could get much better, but we were wrong!
Kim and I on our bicyclesToday began our first official day as bloggers and it could not have been a better one!
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Kyle Vines and I have been traveling through Portugal and Spain with my girlfriend Kimberly since the 31st of March 2011. Together we decided to see the world and figured that the best way for us to do so would be to travel via bicycle. Starting in capital city of Lisbon, Kim and I have cycled our way through the Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve regions of Portugal before heading east towards Spain.
I will have to recount our travels through Portugal in a later post because this is only an introduction and we have some many great things to say about the wonderfully beautiful country where we are so lucky to have started our journey.
After being on the road and constantly moving for a month and a half we are currently just outside of la Llacuna, Spain and volunteering for a fine wine touring company. Kim and I travelled through Sevilla, Madrid and Barcelona on our way to get here and are so happy to trade labor for a nice place to stay, sleep and eat for a three week stretch. Accounts of our time in Spain will also be addressed at a later date.
Until today our dailly activities have included mowing and rotivating the property, cleaning the house and adding information to the company data-base. But today there occured a dramatic change of events.
