More than a grape harvest

Wine has been part of Empordà for more than 2,500 years. The Institut Català de la Vinya i el Vi traces its beginnings to Empúries, the Greek settlement established around 600 BC. Archaeological finds show that people were already consuming and trading wine here, and evidence of viticulture increased considerably under the Romans.

After a period of decline following the Roman era, monasteries played an important role in bringing winegrowing back. Sant Pere de Rodes, Sant Quirze de Colera and Santa Maria de Vilabertran all had vineyards during the Middle Ages. Centuries later, vineyards again covered large parts of Empordà until phylloxera arrived at Rabós in 1879 — the first recorded outbreak in Catalunya.

The harvest is one small part of that much longer history, but it remains the point in the year when months of work in the vineyards finally reach the cellar.

A tradition shared by villages

The verema was also a social event. La Vinyeta, in Mollet de Peralada, recalls how young people from villages across the plain would form groups and come to help when September arrived. The work was hard during the day; dancing and celebrations followed at night.

That communal spirit hasn’t disappeared completely. The annual Festa de la Verema, organised by DO Empordà and hosted by a different municipality each year, marks the start of the harvest with the symbolic pressing of the first must.

Individual cellars also keep older harvest practices visible through family activities, shared meals and traditional grape pressing. These are modern events, but the work they demonstrate—picking grapes together and turning the first fruit into must—comes directly from the harvest itself.

The Empordà harvest today

DO Empordà now covers around 2,000 hectares across 55 municipalities: 35 in Alt Empordà and 20 in Baix Empordà. No single harvest date applies across such a large area. The best time to pick depends on the vineyard, grape variety and growing conditions.

Traditionally, harvesting begins between mid- and late August. Early varieties such as small-grain muscat can be among the first to come in, while the main harvest usually begins in September and can continue into October.

Garnatxa and Carinyena remain the main traditional grapes of DO Empordà. Today, native varieties account for around two-thirds of the vines in the denomination. A third of the vines are more than 30 years old, and about 3% were planted at the end of the 19th century and still produce grapes.

Those figures make the harvest more than what happens during a few weeks in late summer. Some of the vines being picked today have already passed through several generations of growers.

Experience the verema yourself

You do not have to work in a winery to see what happens during the harvest. DO Empordà lists Verema entre vinyes as one of its wine-tourism experiences, with participating cellars including Empordàlia, Espelt, Brugarol, and La Vinyeta. Activities generally take place in September and October and vary by cellar.

Celler Brugarol

At Celler Brugarol in Palamós, the Festa de la Verema 2026 takes place on 11 and 12 September. The morning includes an introduction to the harvest, traditional grape treading, freshly made must, a cellar visit and a glass of the estate’s ancestral wine. An optional communal lunch is also available.

La Vinyeta

For 2026, La Vinyeta has selected evenings from late August through September when families can cut grapes, tread them, use a traditional press and finish with a pa amb tomàquet supper accompanied by the cellar’s wine and grape must. Check current dates and availability directly with the cellar.

Espelt Viticultors

At Espelt Viticultors in Vilajuïga, Verema a l’Antiga takes place on 12 September 2026. The four-hour experience starts with a walk from the cellar to Mas Espelt’s vineyards, where you pick grapes by hand and fill traditional semals. You then press the grapes with bare feet, just as they did in the early 20th century. Live music and a small pica-pica with local products round off the morning.

Perelada Winery

Perelada closes the harvest season with Aires de Verema on 17 October 2026. From 10:00 to 19:00, Celler Perelada hosts wine activities, a market with local products, food, live music and a dedicated children’s area. Tickets cost €12 for adults and include entry, a glass and one tasting. Children’s tickets are €5.

Harvest activities tend to have limited places, so check directly with each cellar before making the trip.

Further afield in Penedès

If you want to make it a day trip, Penedès also offers a full harvest programme through late August and September. Wineries organise breakfasts, vineyard picnics, grape picking, tastings and other seasonal activities during the verema. The official Penedès programme changes each year, so check the calendar before you go.