The area around the Costa Brava town of Calonge is full of lovely walking trails that just so happen to take you by some excellent wineries. If you like going for country walks and also enjoy fine local wines, why not indulge your two passions at once? Calonge has both!
Calonge
The town of Calonge that we know today has been in existence since around the 8th century, but numerous dolmens and menhirs around the area, like the menhir de Puigsesforques, for example, are testament to the fact the region has been settled by humans since probably as long as 100,000 years ago. Agriculture began with the Neolithic era about 5,000 BCE and thanks to archaeological discoveries it is known that Iberian peoples lived in the region at least as far back as the 4th century BCE.
Calonge Castle
The Romans also had a settlement during their time here, but the most impressive historical building that remains today is certainly Calonge Castle, the construction of which began in the 8th century. It was one of the largest fortresses built in the Baix Empordà comarca and its original purpose was to defend against any potential Saracen raids. It was built in stages over the centuries and was damaged during the War of Remences, but restored almost immediately.
The half-palace, half-fortress has been put to various uses during its history, including a theatre and casino, but nowadays belongs to the Generalitat de Catalunya. Starting in 1968, for 50 years the castle hosted the Music Festival of Calonge making it one of the oldest festivals of Catalunya. Nowadays it is open to the public and hosts concerts at various times throughout the year rather than one big festival, so keep an eye on the calendar. You never know who might show up!
Festa Major d’Estiu de Calonge takes place in early July every year, and over the 5 days or so of festivities, several events, including concerts, take place on the castle grounds.
Església de Sant Martí bell tower
The residents of Calonge are very attached to their church of Sant Martí and its bell tower and clock. The tower was struck by lightning at the end of October 2022 and knocked out of action for a while, with the clock stopped at 02:15. When there was no sign of any repairs happening, a group of locals launched a campaign called “Calonge, what time is it?”, arguing that “a town without bells is a town without life”. They got their wish and the clock and the bells were repaired in February 2023 and are back ringing every quarter of an hour, as well as ringing in a particular manner to announce local festivities and for funerals.
Torre Valentina + Sant Antoni
As was the case with many towns of the time that were established away from the coast, Calonge is situated 4km from the sea. This was for fear of pirate attacks, and so common were these raids that a watchtower was built in the 15th century on the coast – Torre Valentina – to warn of approaching pirate ships and give inhabitants time to hide themselves and their valuables.
Torre Valentina was just one of a network of towers along the coast, many of which have long since disappeared, that could signal each other so that the whole population of the region would receive a warning. Who knows, maybe that’s where Tolkien got his inspiration for the “lighting of the beacons” in “Lord of the Rings”?
Sant Antoni de Calonge looks at first glance like it should be part of Palamós rather than Calonge, sharing as it does the Bay of Palamós and also being ever so slightly closer to the former than to the latter, but as its name makes abundantly clear, Sant Antoni definitely belongs to the municipality of Calonge. The combined number of rear-round inhabitants of the two population centres is just over 11,000 nowadays but, because of the aforementioned pirate menace, almost nobody lived down on the coast at Sant Antoni for a long time. Today virtually all the buildings there date from relatively recent times and it is, for the most part, a tourist resort.
At the time of the Spanish Civil War though Sant Antoni de Mar, as it was known then, was actually a separate municipality, but it was promptly annexed by the Francoist Ajuntament of Calonge in 1939 as soon as the war came to an end and there it remains to this day.
Calonge Book Town
Wine and books; what a perfect combination, right? In December 2021, Calonge announced itself as a book town by simultaneously opening six bookshops in and around the centre of Calonge and another one in Sant Antoni. As of 2024, there are plans for three more stores in the near future. Regular events take place with books as their main theme, with all of the bookshops participating – one of the conditions of the grants they received from the Ajuntament to aid in getting established. The aim is to eventually become a fully-fledged member of the International Organisation of Booktowns – and celebrate with a bottle of local wine, naturally!
In December 2024, Calonge celebrates 3 years as a “Town of Books” with exhibitions, shows, workshops, book presentations, story readings, talks, popular activities, and even a live writing jam session. Th weekend of 6-8 December is aimed mainly at kids and children’s books, while the following (14-15) focuses primarily on adults.
Les Gavarres
Calonge is surrounded on almost all sides by the Gavarres Massif, like a natural amphitheatre, and these hills, with their innumerable streams and miradores (lookout points) with vistas all the way down to the Mediterranean, make for a beautiful day’s walking, hiking and cycling on their many trails. In total, the Gavarres Massif covers an area of over 350km² and its highest hill stands at 533m above sea level.
It contains only three small villages with a permanent population: Sant Mateu de Montnegre de Quart, Sant Pol de la Bisbal and Romanyà de la Selva, and about fifty inhabited farmhouses. Les Gavarres are also home to some of the finest forests of cork oak in Catalunya, which is a good thing because also “hidden” in amongst the hills are a number of wineries that produce quality-controlled local Denominación de Origen (D.O.) wine; in this case D.O. Empordà.
The plentiful walking trails in the Gavarres are very popular with hikers, and if you’re a wine lover as well, why not combine a beautiful stroll in the hills and forests with a visit to a local winery or two? Or a few…
The wineries
Calonge is a true paradise for the wine lovers amongst us with so much variety that one can really discover everything wine has to offer. Calonge is located in the Empordà, a controlled and protected Denominación de Origen, (D.O.) or “designation of origin”, which covers about 2000 hectares and is divided into the Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà. While there are more and better-known wineries in the Alt Empordà region, the Baix Empordà also has its fair share of quality wines, and the region around Calonge is right up there with the best of them.
There are two styles of wine made. One is the traditional vi de pagés (farm wine) which are beautiful, naturally made wines without the addition of yeast cultures or the use of other additives during their production. These are very pure wines and taste pretty much as they must have done long ago. Nice examples are Mas Molla with its 700 years of history and Mas Ponsjoan.
The other type of wine is the D.O. (quality controlled) wine. These are wines made according to the rules of the D.O., meaning, among other things, that they must be made from prescribed grape varieties with a maximum yield per hectare, specified maturation times, possibly in oak barrels, and so on.
Here are 5 of the best of both types!
Celler Mas Eugeni
The Celler Mas Eugeni winery is located in Sant Antoni de Calonge, specifically in an area called Fondils, which gives its name to their wines. Vineyards have been cultivated for a very long time here due to the ideal location, near the sea and beside a stream, surrounded by forest and fields of stony soil, poor for the cultivation of fodder for animals but ideal for a vineyard. In 1995 Mas Eugeni began a continuous process of uprooting old vines and replanting them with noble varieties such as Grenache, and later Syrah and Merlot for their tannic potency.
Organized guided tours of their winery and vineyards of the estate, with wine tasting, are by prior reservation only. In their own words: “To arrange a day and time you can contact us by email. The standard visit begins with a walk through the vineyards explaining the work we do there. Then we go to the winery where we will tell you how we make the wine and end up in the farmhouse with a tasting of our wines. The visit lasts approximately one hour and its price is €5 per adult”.
Celler Viníric
Again, to use the vineyard’s own words: “At Viníric, we apply a wealth of knowledge: from the traditional – like the monitoring of lunar phases and the use of natural fertilisers – to the most innovative techniques: cold fermentation, inerting systems and others. Evolution and experimentation. That is the style of Viníric. Currently, we cultivate 8 hectares and 4 more are being prepared, where the indigenous varieties of the red and white Grenache are the stars, which share a living space with the Xarel.lo, Macabeu, Monastrell, Syrah and the local Tempranillo grape Ull de Llebre.”
Their wines are 100% from the land and what you end up drinking is completely from their vineyard with no blends, no modifications, no clarification, no stabilization, and only the best wine they produce makes it as far as being bottled.
They offer full 90-minute tours of the vineyards by appointment followed by tasting for €12, or you can do a tasting only for 8. The tasting also includes their own olive oil produced on the estate. Bookings can be made on their website.
Mas Ponsjoan
The farmhouse on this estate is one of the oldest in the area and already had a vineyard back in the 17th century. In fact, in 2023 they are celebrating 300 years of wine production. Located in the Tinar basin, between Gavarres and the village of Calonge, the original building was actually built in 1668 and was initially a tavern that sold wine from the vineyards to bandits. Over the next couple of centuries various extensions were added until, in 1986, the farmhouse was completely renovated.
Between 1989 and 2005 more works took place and the farm also expanded with the purchase of more fields, reaching the 20 hectares today cultivated with native varieties of vines, olive trees, fruit trees and vegetables. They produce wine and oil, as well as jams and preserves using traditional methods.
This traditional farmhouse has been in the same family for six generations and the philosophy of Mas Ponsjoan is to ensure minimal impact in all areas. This is achieved by respecting the integrity of the soils and managing fertility and crop protection in the most natural way possible, minimizing waste, reusing containers, and using as little plastic and fossil fuels as possible. They only use organic matter from the crushed remains of the pruning as fertilizer, no chemicals.
There are guided tours throughout the year except on Sundays, and it is even possible to visit during harvest to see the process in action for yourself. As you’d expect, booking in advance is necessary.
Mas Molla
At Mas Molla they take great pride in the fact that they have been farming in virtually the same traditional way since 1338, generation after generation of the same Molla family. They sell their wine year-round and in summer dry fruit. They also have guided wine tours available in Catalan, Spanish and English every month bar September during harvest time. Advance booking is required and the availability of tours in English is subject to demand.
Saving the best till last?
Clos d’Agon
The story of today’s Clos d’Agon winery begins in 1987 when the estate was purchased by a French couple, les Dambois, who pulled up the existing old and poor-quality vines and replaced them with superior French varieties in an effort to turn the vineyard around and focus on producing high-quality wines. For the red wines they predominantly selected Bordeaux varieties, and for the whites went for vines native to the Rhône valley. And so the Clos d’Agon brand was created.
In 1998 les Dambois sold the estate to six friends and wine lovers from Switzerland – four of whom remain involved in the business today. The new owners brought in another friend and renowned oenologist – also still with them today – and increased the plantation area by 8 hectares, planting areas in the higher parts of the estate that had fallen out of use. In 2006 they completed constructing a modern winery building right beside the old farmhouse in the middle of the estate, overlooking the sea.
Their wines are characterized by a marked style and distinct quality. Their unique varieties, previously non-existent in the area, are cultivated in harmony with the Mediterranean environment with the sea only 3km away and the forest of Les Gavarres forming an amphitheatre that almost completely surrounds the vineyard. The soils are composed of clays and loams in the lower areas of the farm and slate in the upper parts. Clos d’Agon wines are widely recognized worldwide and score highly in reference guides.
While there aren’t regularly scheduled visits to the Clos d’Agon vineyard – as they are usually too busy producing wine for us to enjoy – it is possible to arrange a guided visit by contacting them directly and enquiring about available visiting times. Mid-August to mid-October is harvest time though so there’s no point even asking then!
This top rosé has been one of the finest rosés in Spain for some time now, and in recent years it has consistently been rated best in all of Catalunya.
Walking and Wining
In case you fancy the idea of combining a country walk with some wine tasting, we’ve put together a suggested itinerary that takes in the wineries mentioned above. With some planning and reserving you may be able to fit in two or three bodega visits and not even feel guilty as you’ll have earned them!
The itinerary was put together using the Wikiloc app which allows people to upload routes they have walked as suggestions for others to follow. You can see our itinerary by clicking here, and you can follow it while walking if you download it to your smartphone.
Festa Major de St Martí i Festa del Vi Nou
If you happen to find yourself in Calonge in the month of November, check out the Festa del Vi Nou, (New Wine Festival) which coincides with the feast of Sant Martí. It normally takes place in mid-November and runs for about 10 days. There are lots of activities, including for kids, as part of the Festa Major de Sant Martí, but the Festa del Vi Nou part focuses on wine tastings and tours at the above-mentioned wineries, including a walking tour, a wine market, and exhibitions.
Wine Interpretative Centre
Soon, you won’t have to wait for the Festa Major de St Martí i Festa del Vi Nou for exhibitions as a new Wine Interpretation Centre is being built in the old Convent of the Carmelite Sisters on Carrer Major. The centre will promote wine tourism and celebrate the town’s wine tradition, thanks to an investment of 2.3 MEUR. When completed (in autumn 2024), it will host exhibitions, concerts, and dinners and have a roof terrace offering views of the castle and the old town of Calonge. There will also be a dedicated gastronomic and oenological space with tasting rooms, culinary workshops, and a bar with another terrace on the upper floor.
Where to buy
You can buy many of the above wines in local shops and supermarkets, but for a booze-shopping experience like no other, head for Vins i Licors Grau on the outskirts of Palafrugell! They stock the largest assortment of Empordà wines anywhere as well as wines from all over the world. In addition, they have just about any type of spirit you might be looking for.
So, wine lovers, what are you waiting for?
