The same ranking that last year placed Disfrutar in the number 1 spot in the world, and which previously did so with El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca, also ranks hotels, cocktail bars (Barcelona has held the top position twice, first for Paradiso and then for Sips), and has been doing so since 2010. In this edition of the World's Best Vineyards, Catalonia has achieved an excellent position thanks to the Perelada winery in the Empordà DO and the Gramona winery in Corpinnat. They ranked 22nd and 25th, respectively.

This time of year, treading the vineyards is a true spectacle. We must take advantage of the fact that the plants are in full bloom and that we are fortunate to have a good part of the country covered in vines. The wineries are mostly very busy because they are immersed in the grape harvest, but it's a great time to visit them. The other day we echoed the impressive cabins that they have in Celler Oller del Mas (Bages) at the foot of the vineyard, and today I propose another wine tourism proposal, in this case much more informal: The Planes by Sicus (Bonastro, Baix Penedès).

Among the reasons for planning a trip may be exploring wine regions and their attractions. Catalonia has a wealth of wine tourism opportunities, with almost half of its 918 wineries open to visitors, but it still has a long way to go if it aspires to be among the world's leading wine tourism destinations. This year, four of these destinations—Bordeaux, Port, Georgia, and China—explained what has made them leaders during the 1st International Wine Tourism Forum held during Barcelona Wine Week (BWW).

In this story we will go through Holland and Tarragona and we will end up asking for a hand from the influencersThe mission? To popularize brandy among a segment of the population that doesn't even know what it is. To achieve this, they've created a simple but quite witty concept, the Earthling.

BBVA has recognized three Catalan rural producers in the sixth edition of its awards for the best sustainable producers. These are Alta Alella, Viñas de Olivardots, and Font Rovira Agrícola. The recognition has also gone to five other producers from Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, the Valencian Community, and Galicia. In total, more than 800 applications have been received for these awards since their launch.

This story begins in 1312. Or at least that's the year in which the first documents attest that the Mestres family owned a vineyard in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and traded grain and wine. More than 700 years later, and 30 generations later, they're still producing, and for 100 years they've been making one of the cavas most beloved by wine connoisseurs. Of course, getting here hasn't been easy.

Sergio Caballero and Francesc Grimalt came to an agreement almost 20 years ago. Two million pesetas each. And so, in a modest way, 4Kilos Vinícola was born, one of the best Mallorcan wineries, which works with recovered native varieties and is probably not like any other winery in the world.

Donald Trump becoming president of the United States could have a strong impact on a small town surrounded by vineyards in Penedès or Priorat. In our wine sector, they are very interested in Americans drinking Catalan wine, since it is the main export market (12.7% of sales go to it). If we look at the data from last year, from January to November, wine worth 78.82 million euros had been exported. Then comes the market in the United Kingdom, where many more bottles are exported, but at a much lower value. The reason is that in the British Isles a lot of volume is sold at a low cost to supply the large supermarkets. However, the American case is different, because what travels is quality wine.

If you are given the choice between two wines and all you know is that one is from young vines and the other is from old vines, which would you choose? Wines made from old vines attract attention because they come from vines that can be older than the oldest person at the table. The age of the vineyard may lead one to assume that the wine must be of high quality, but the fact that it is made from an old vineyard does not mean that the wine always has to be good.