"when we were in spain..."
How tired are you of hearing El Lopo staff and regulars say that?
Well, if you come with us this year, you can be the new smuggest person in the room every time food or wine or travel comes up.
With a few very ambitious and fast-paced trips behind us, our visits from here on out will each be focusing on a specific region, with a general theme as well.
This past May, we took a road trip through western Andalucia during the region's festival season. It was absolutely nuts, and we're still trying to wash the sherry and sweat stains out of our clothes, but we're already planning to do it all over again next spring.
In the meantime, we've got a slightly cushier trip planned for November 2025. After some independent location scouting by Wyatt and Daniel, this will be El Lopo's first official jaunt through Catalonia with a group. There will definitely still be some occasions for boisterousness (who do you think you're traveling with?), but overall there will be more emphasis on grown-up activities like tastings and seated dinners.
november 11th - 17th
Northern Catalonia is arguably the global epicenter of the molecular gastronomy movement, which was largely responsible for waking Americans up to Spain's culinary relevance. While we will be sure to partake of some cerebral fine dining, we're much more interested in rustic braises and stews than spherification and foams. The story of Catalan cuisine began centuries before Ferran Adria was born.
We'll split these six nights evenly between the cities of Girona and Barcelona, with just a couple of short excursions. This is certainly the more urban of the two legs, and that also means later nights and faster pacing. Keep in mind that El Lopo's itineraries generally do not include sightseeing, so if seeing certain landmarks is important, you'll want to plan on splitting off from the group occasionally. And for those who have already done the postcard version of a Barcelona experience, know that we will not be going anywhere near La Rambla.
november 17th - 22nd
Southern Catalonia is where we’ll slow things down to match the more rural tone of the region. Our main focus here is wine: cava and pet-nat in coastal Penedès, garnatxa and samsó in rocky Priorat, and amber vi ranci wherever we can find it. We’re still team sherry for life, but there is a whole other world of oxidative wines on the opposite side of Spain that we don’t really get to experience in the US, so pardon us in advance for geeking out. The good news for those of you who prefer your wines untoasted is that the oxidative stuff is generally just a side project of wineries making more familiar (and marketable) styles.
Of course not all that grows here are grapes. We’ll make sure we enjoy all the gifts of one of Europe’s most fertile regions, which alone exports more produce than all of Portugal or Greece. And November just happens to be the tail end of pepper season, so you can bet we’ll be putting romesco on everything from roasted rabbit legs to grilled eggplant.
this trip is best for travelers who...
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that sound like you? here's how to join:
just give us some money to hold your spot, and get yourself to the relevant starting point and home from the end point. if you're not opting to let us handle your lodging, you should also book yourself somewhere to stay.
the overall cost breaks down to:
$350 per day per traveler; +$210 per night per room for lodging
what's included in the price:
a lot of food. a couple of very splurgy options will cost extra, and if you insist on pretending breakfast is a real thing you’ll be on your own in that endeavor. but if you hang with us every day after 2pm and are content with (shockingly good) casual dining, you’ll never be hungry and you’ll never go out of pocket.
all the wine, sherry, vermouth, cider, and beer your little liver desires (although we reserve the right to tell you how much that is if you don’t know).
insider access to wineries, bodegas, distilleries, ranches, and canneries that make the things we sell at el lopo.
all transportation while you’re with us. this may include trains, private shuttles, rental cars, buses, taxis, and subways. (note that if you choose your own accommodations, you'll be responsible for getting yourself to and from there to meet up with the group.)
more advice, information, cultural and historical context, and well-informed opinions than you could ever ask for.
excellent company. we’re capping the group at 12 travelers, and if someone who sucks wants to come we will tell them it's full.
(if you opt to pay for lodging) a private room in a stylish and centrally-located small hotel.
questions?
check out our FAQ page, or drop us a line and we'll follow up within a day.
wanna buy some time to think it over? a $250 deposit will guarantee you one of the twelve spots on the trip, and is fully refundable for a seven-day period.