Learning about the unique gastronomy of Catalonia, Spain

I was recently invited down to D.C. to learn about the gastronomy — both the food and wine — of the Catalonia region of Spain. It’s been named the World Region of Gastronomy for 2025! This part of the country borders the Mediterranean Sea, France and the Pyrenees, so it experiences a whole range of temperatures. That gives it the chance to grow, fish and produce very unique food and wines. I got to experience the natural bounty in the hands of Catalan Michelin-starred Chef Pepe Moncayo and Catalonian sommelier Clara Antunez at Arrels restaurant.

We started off with a Cava — their sparkling wine. Their origin control designation is “DO” and this was a DO Penedes, a part of Catalonia.

Then, we tried a white and red from both the north and south of the region.

The white, Blanc de Folls 2022 Vins de Pedra DO Conca de Barbera, is a white that means it’s from “crazy people”! Well, it’s always been a hub for individualists like Salvador Dali. It comes from 65 year old vineyards, fermented in steel tanks. It’s a young white, fruity, with a full body. It’s great chilled.

Clos Abella Negre 2021, Marco Abella, DOQ Priorat is a very sippable red. I experienced a smoky fruit nose, medium body. It features Carignan, a grape indigenous to the area. The vines have been in the family since the 15th century! Their soil has a lot of black slate, which concentrates acidity in fruit. They are avoiding oaky flavors to bring out more terroir and fruit. Clara, the talented sommelier, describes the wine as “subtle, soft, silky”.

Llavors blanc 2023 DO Emporda (whose etymology stems from the Roman Empire) is quite interesting: smooth, but with quite a bit of mineral and stone notes. It has a sweet, ripened fruit nose with less body. The flavor is fresh, with Mediterranean herbs.

This is an area known for the finest cork — Dom Perignon gets its cork from there.

Pla de Gates negre 2020 is light with red fruits, less body, a touch of saltiness and more tannic.

So, then came lunch with wine pairings!

A tapas trio was escalivada with roasted, peppers and onion touched with vinegar. It’s like Spain’s answer to ratatouille. Patates braves — fried potatoes with spicy brave sauce — was presented in a fun way. Roasted meat croquettes was served with jus of roasted chicken.

The paired wine was Cava Gran Reserve X, DO Cava. It’s a crisp, steely white from 90 year old vines. Sparkling wine clears the palate with bubbles.

The next course was suquet de peix: black bass — grilled and flaky — with prawns, a “fisherman’s stew” with exotic saffron. It was paired with Sotabosc blanc 2023, DO Montsant, fresh and full bodied.

The next course, Mar i Muntanya Rice: pork ribs and cuttlefish. I think this was my — and everyone else’s! — favorite course. The rice was just incredible and I learned that they grow 15 kinds of rice in the area. It was nutty, kind of like granola! I learned quickly that the tender, rich pork rib needed to be picked up with the fingers — at least I decided so! I could eat this all night!

It was paired with 5 Finques negre 2019, DO Emporda. It had notes of strawberries and raspberries, with heavy body, spicy and tannic. It has a complex nose with rosemary.

The next course was Beef with Mushrooms in a delicate, broth-like sauce. It was paired with Mas SinenCoster negre 2018, DOQ Priorat. It has black fruits on the nose and is fresh, full-bodied. It doesn’t taste of alcohol and was most peoples’ favorite!

Then came the dessert: pears in red wine with crema Catalonia. Their cream sauces are rich and very flavorful. It was paired with Garnatxa dolca, DO Emporda. This was a medium bodied dessert wine that had snap, not syrupy. It didn’t overpower the fresh fruit, but rather, complimented it.