During the 19th century, this was the largest wine-growing region in all Catalonia, before phylloxera and the rise of industry all but wiped it off the map. Today, the tenacity, unity and passion of a small group of deep-rooted winegrowers have revived this liquid heritage, once again placing Picapoll—its star white variety—at the forefront of European wine tourism. Book your next getaway on the DO Pla de Bages Wine Route today and start a journey that will surprise you. Dry-stone vats in the heart of the forest The wine history of the DO Pla de Bages is mystical and surprising. During the 18th and 19th centuries, to save time and effort transporting the harvest, the region’s farmers built an almost unbelievable heritage deep in the forest: the vats of the Flequer Valley. It is an impressive set of medieval dry-stone vats with clay-lined interiors where the wine was fermented right at the vines, accompanied by barrel-vaulted huts where tools were stored and grape pickers took shelter on rainy nights. This heritage (declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest) is unique in the wine world and can be explored on foot along the strikingly beautiful signposted trails of the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park. The historical legacy is perfectly complemented by a visit to the medieval old town of Manresa (the region’s capital), dominated by its spectacular Gothic Seu (basilica) rising above the Cardener river, the historic Cardona Castle with its emblematic salt mines concealing centuries of traditional trade, or the time-honoured pilgrimage routes of the Ignatian Way and the Oliba Way that cross the denomination’s vineyards.