05/05/2026
Wine Appreciation Group (WAGs) Event
Thursday 30th April 2026 – Clos de Basella Vineyard
14 WAGs members experienced a wonderful visit to a gem of a winery just south of Figueres in Suirana; the tour included not only a tasting of five of their high quality wines but also locally produced produce including a range of cheeses, salami, and olive oil.
Clos de Basella is an organic winery that believes in sustainability
and environmentally friendly viticulture. Since 2002, the winery has been a project that aims to unite vineyard, garden, whilst retaining respect for natural rhythms and the land. In 2024, the Parés and Grau family took over the vineyard with the aim of preserving its essence, renewing the connection with the territory and the Empordà region, thus creating a vineyard that has a clear and unique identity.
The Empordà is much more than a landscape: it a cauldron of land, wind, and sea that combine to define a unique character in the wine of this region. Nestled between the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava, the wine made by Clos de Basella benefit from the Tramuntana wind, the clear and intense sunlight, and the sea breeze which all give life to an environment that inspires and leaves its mark on the grapes.
With a winemaking tradition that dates back to the Greek civilization of Empúries, Clos de Basella winery in Siurana d'Empordà draws on this ancestral heritage to produce signature wines, which are organic and true to the authenticity and character of the territory.
Clos de Basella offers a variety of wines, each with unique characteristics. The youngest offerings include C Red and C White which are their everyday drinking wines. Other notable selections are the Geum (2023) red which was recently given a Girona Excellent Award, a brised Gris, full of red fruit and freshness along with their signature wine, a 100% viogner wine called Janus (after the Roman God) which has a remarkably complex and creamy taste.
The winery's commitment to sustainability is evident through its pioneering work on introducing various plants as natural insecticides throughout the vines.
Our group was shown how the wine was made and stored in
vats before a bottle machine is brought in to then distribute the wine to local restaurants and businesses. Aro9und 50,000 litres are made every year but the wine is not available in shops or online…you have to go to the vineyard to buy it.
And, of course, we enjoyed the wine along with an extremely tasty lunch of the vineyard’s own produce. Everyone agreed that this was a real find of a vineyard, not widely known, but of a very high standard, offering something that little bit different.
This was a wonderful day out, in a beautiful part of the Costa Brava where our small band of WAGs members got the chance to experience outstanding food and wine for a very affordable group price. The ability to book great venues like this at reasonable prices depends on the continued support of WAGs events throughout the year… so I look forward to welcoming more members at our next outing (probably in June).
The Wine Appreciation Group (WAGs) aims to give its members a diverse experience of the various wineries and wine centres in Catalonia… whether they be one-man or family businesses, long-established brands like Perelada or wine centres like Grau in Palafrugell. Some trips will be adventurous, some more relaxed, but the aim is always to understand the story behind the wine and what makes it unique. Where else can you enjoy such a delightful environment to learn about your favourite tipple? If you want to join in the fun, you know how to join! See you at the next trip!
Stephen White (Chief WAG!)
"I live by the principle of drinking wine and living happily…” (Omar Khayyam)
