In Catalunya recently as a guest of the Agència Catalana de Turisme / Catalan Tourist Board, I visited the Perelada Winery. This magnificent property took decades to plan and construct and it has just opened for visits this year. We drove for just over an hour out of Barcelona in the direction of France, into a region that is easily described as one of the loveliest in Spain.

WHAT MAKES A WINERY STAND OUT

Here, amidst grapes, a castle and a golf course, I found magic. This was not even a winery. This was a temple of architecture, of minimalist high tech design that uses recycled materials and blends with the earth and environment. It speaks — no, actually it whispers — of sustainability in every sense.

Great thought was put into making Perelada Winery a visual and environment-friendly legacy for generations of this visionary family. It was created as a feast for the eyes and also to minimize usage of energy and water.

The wines are quite formidable as well. Although the winery is new, the family company has actually been making wines for nearly 100 years.  Consider these a well-kept secret of Catalunya. Perelada wines may be little known outside of Spain, but European royalty have been drinking these for generations. In fact, these wines have been part of the dinner menus at the royal palace in Madrid since the late 1920s.

SEAMLESS ARCHITECTURE AT ITS BEST

As I walked through this vast underground cave, I was open-mouthed the entire time. The winery, which I imagine is almost always a beehive of activity, was beautiful, calming, and nurturing. And so aesthetically pleasing in an ultra modern but earthy way. In fact the manner in which this industrial structure and hacienda-style building blended with the greenery and the lands around it made me think of Frank Lloyd Wright, but circa 2022.

Created by RCR Architects, a firm that is quite reticent about standing out in spite of winning the Pritzker Prize in 2017, the inside is all about pure seamless design. In fact, the visitor is hardly made aware of where the exterior fades into the interior and vice versa. One minute you are walking around a pretty traditional looking hacienda estate, and then next you don’t know where you are.

The experience begins in a soothing darkness with a hint of dampness. With great marketing flair, a series of incredible videos appear as you navigate rooms that have been created so cleverly to feel like caves and tunnels. Each video features the magnificent nature around the Perelada wine properties along with explanations about the philosophy of the family.

THE PERELADA EXPERIENCE

You stand viewing each video while feeling that you have been taken out of your comfort zone. You are tempted to sit on the floor or lean on the wall as sounds and images dance around you in an intimate theater. By the time you have reached the last video experience, you are a fan. And at the end of the visit, you are ready to buy bottles of their wine without even tasting these, because you are almost sure that a family that has created such a superb winery must also be as adept at creating superb wines.

As I navigated my way through cork, wood, and earth, I tried to think of the last time I had seen a winery even close to this in design. It was beautiful and it felt so familiar. Then I realized where I last had this feeling. It was not in a winery. It was while walking into the spa of the equally gorgeous Park Hyatt Kyoto. 

If you must visit one winery in Catalunya, make it the Perelada Winery. I have never seen anything like it. As for the wines? They are wonderful, especially with food.

– written by Christine Cunanan, publisher and editor in chief of Travelife Magazine

READ MORE ABOUT AMAZING CATALUNYA IN TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE

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To tell you the truth, we were completely taken aback by the beauty of the city of Pecs. It’s the fifth largest city in Hungary, and it’s known for luxury vintage brands like the 1861 glove factory and Zsolnay porcelain. The University of Pecs is also here so it’s very much a student town. So visitors can feel a young vibe everywhere.

THE MOST FAMOUS ATTRACTIONS IN PECS

It’s also famous for its early Christian Mausoleum, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is perhaps the most famous tourist attraction in Pecs. Then there’s also the domed mosque of Pasha Gazi Kasim from the 16th century,

THE BEST BRANDS OF PECS

Pecs is also associated with several beautiful brands from the 19th century. First and foremost is the Zsolnay porcelain, made in a factory near the city centre. Fine Zsolnay porcelain has been made here since the mid-19th century. Then, from 1914, Zsolnay stopped making fancy pieces and began making more utilitarian pieces in order to survive the war years.

ABOUT THE ZSOLNAY MUSEUM IN PECS

Nevertheless, many of the 19th century pieces of Zsolnay that have survived through the decades are today exhibited in the Zsolnay Museum of Pecs. And a few rare pieces that are for sale can be found in a handful of fine antique stores around the town of Pecs.

Luckily, I found two beautiful pieces, one of a kind actually, and they are now in my dining room.

THE 1861 GLOVE FACTORY

The other brand associated with Pecs is the 1861 glove factory, which connoisseurs consider one of the finest glove factories in Europe. I tried on some of their best gloves at the 1861 glove factory, and they were truly beautiful.

Seeing the Zsolnay porcelain and the 1861 glove factory alone are wonderful reasons to visit Pecs. But personally, I love Pecs. It’s really an amazing walking town full of beautiful buildings. We all know how Hungary was part of the Socialist bloc for decades, and how this resulted in many Soviet-style buildings in some cities.

19TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE

However, the city centre of Pecs has largely retained its 19th century charm. We arrived in Pecs late in the afternoon, and as soon as we checked into our hotel, we took an exploratory walk around the city center.

I think I said “What a beautiful place” to my companion about a dozen times. Many of the buildings are colourful, elegant and covered in Zsolnay tiles. This makes the city of Pecs not only a a lovely walking town but a real photographer’s delight.

Read more about the Travelife Magazine team’s visit to Hungary in Travelife Magazine.

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