Sunday, March 29, 2026

Our Mediterranean Cruise stop in Barcelona : La Vinya del Senyor wine bar

Back in Barcelona on a Mediterranean cruise meant we had a day in port. Our plan was to visit La Vinya del Senyor for a wine tasting. La Vinya del Senyor, in Plaza Santa María del Mar, was founded in 1997 in Barcelona's Born district. Shortly after docking in port we jumped into a cab to take us to the wine bar. La Vinya del Senyor wine bar opens at 12:00 pm; so it was just perfect timing for a wine tasting. Upon arrival we grabbed a stool at the bar counter.

Welcome to La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

Welcome to La Vinya del Senyor

Since reading about La Vinya del Senyor wine bar in a Wine Enthusiast article I put it on the top of my list. I had read the recommendation to head upstairs to enjoy the impressive plaza and church-top views. Given upstairs was not available during our visit, and the options were inside, or on the plaza. We chose to sit inside at the bar.

Plaza Santa María del Mar, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

Had we chosen the outside setting its neighbor includes one of Barcelona’s most beautiful church, Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar. Given the bar’s name, La Vinya del Senyor, translates as The Lord’s Vine, then you know the wine bar is in the right location.

La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

La Vinya del Senyor (The Lord's Vine) © Spaswinefood

The wine bar offers an extensive list of wines from Europe and around the world. Here in this wine bar the wine bottles outnumber the humans. Its wine list is as thick as a hardcover novel. The list includes a large selection of wines by the glass, which are updated every two weeks. You can also select from its impressive wine list of more than 3,000 enteries.

Wines We Selected

We chose to focus on Spanish wines.

1. Ribera Del Duero

The first wines we tasted were two wines from Ribera Del Duero, a white and a red.

Vizcarra Alejandra, Ribera Del Duero DO 2022

Vizcarra Alejandra, Ribera Del Duero DO 2022 © Spaswinefood

This 2022 Vizcarra Alejandra wine is 100% Albillo.

Dominio del Aguila Reserva, Ribera Del Duero DO 2020

Dominio del Aguila Reserva, Ribera Del Duero DO 2020 © Spaswinefood

Dominio del Aguila Reserva 2020 wine is 85% Tempranillo, 5% Albillo, 5% Bobal, 5% Garnacha Tinta.

Ribera Del Duero DO is located in northern Spain's Castilla y León region. There on the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, along the sides of the Duero River, the wine region occupies the southern plains of Burgos province, extends west to Valladolid, and into parts of Segovia and Doris provinces. The appellation received DO status in 1982. In 2008, it was approved for Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) status however, it never pursued this classification, so it remains a DO appellation. It is one of Spain's best red wine regions. It is known for its Tempranillo (Tinto Fino), which is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, up to 25 %. The appellation is almost exclusively red and rosado (rosé) wines. To be recognized as DO, its red wines must contain a minimum of 75 % Tempranillo. No more than 5 % Garnacha or Albillo, in total, may be added. Its Rosado wines must have a minimum of 50 % of the authorized red varieties. The white wine produced, is Albillo. DO regulations require at least 75 % of Albillo grapes be used. While most is produced for local consumption this maybe about to change.

2. Getariako Txakolina (Txakoli de Getaria) DO

The next wine was from Spain's Getariako Txakolina or Txakoli de Getaria is a DO wine zone.

Aitaren 'Lurretik' Getariako Txakolina 2023

Aitaren 'Lurretik', Getariako Txakolina DO 2023 © Spaswinefood

When my wine travels took me to San Sebastián I knew I was in for a special treat. Some years ago I was fortunate to visit Basque Country, in Northeast Spain. This region is not only has its own culture and language, but also its rich wine making tradition. Moreover, Basque Country (known locally País Vasco, or Euskadi) is renowned for its innovative gastronomy and striking landscapes. I did a wine tour of the beautiful Basque Txakoli wine region. Txakoli (Chacolí in Spanish, pronounced: chak-ko-lee) is most commonly produced as a light, fruity and acid-driven, slightly sparkling dry white wine. This wine is produced in white, rose, sparkling, and late harvest styles. It has been described by some as a unique zippy wine. I am inclined to agree.

Wine Tasting, La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

After our first wine selections we ordered some tapas. They offer tapas and delicious small bites.

Cheese Plate, La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

Tomatoes and Cheese, La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

We enjoyed the tapas while continuing the wine tasting.

Wine Time: La Vinya del Senyor © Spaswinefood

3. Montsant DO

Some years earlier we explored some Montsant wines

Montsant DO 2015 © Spaswinefood

Montsant DO, Tarragona Province takes its name from the Montsant Mountains. Located in one of southern Catalonia's most scenic areas, the DO forms a C shape, almost completely surrounding DOQ Priorat. Winemaking here dates back to Roman times, followed by the Catholic monks in the Middle Ages. It was previously known as the Falset sub-zone of Tarragona wine region. This sub-zone existed in Tarragona's shadow until growers successful petitioned to have it recognized. Montsant DO was founded in 2001. Today the DO includes approximately 57 wineries, two of which produce Kosher wines.

4. Rioja Roja D.O.Ca.

Of course who can resist tasting a Rioja wine.

Aiurri, Rioja DOC 2022

Aiurri, Rioja DOC 2022 © Spaswinefood

Rioja D.O.Ca denominación de origen calificada (Qualified Designation of Origin), is the highest category in Spanish wine regulation. Rioja wine is made from grapes grownd in three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental and Rioja Alavesa. The Rioja grape varities used in wines from Rioja D.O.Ca include the red grapes varieties - Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciono, Mazuelo and Maturana Tinta; white grapes - Viura, Malvasia, Grancha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca, Turruntés, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo. The main red grape is Tempranillo with the main white grape being Viura.

5. Jura AO, France

We rounded out our tasting with a French wine from the Jura.

Domaine Calice, Savagnin Sous Le Viaduc, Jura 2022

Domaine Calice, Savagnin Sous Le Viaduc, Jura's Arbois AO 2022 © Spaswinefood

Arbois is a wine producing region in Jura department, which produces white, red, rosé, and sparkling wines. Spefically Arbois is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée within France's Jura region around the town of Arbois. This particular Arbois wine is produced from Savagnin grapes.

6. Cava DO, Spain

I rounded out our visit with a cava wine. When in Spain it is hard to resist having a good cava. The one I selected was not a disappointment.

Cava Time © Spaswinefood

Mestres Cava, Clos Nostre Senyor Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2018 © Spaswinefood

Mestres has been a family owned winery since 1312. Its historic site is considered to be the capital of cava. Here tradition pairs well with innovation.

Cava DO is a sparkling wine produced via the Traditional Method (also known as Méthode Champenoise or Méthode traditionelle). The main white grape varieties include: Macabeo, Chardonnay, and Parellada. Other varieties include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and to a lesser extent, Subirat Parent (Malvasia). Rosé Cavas are produced from the red grape varieties: Garnacha, Monastrell, and Bonicaire.

We had a wonderful tasting at La Vinya del Senyor with Juan. I would highly recommend a visit when in Barcelona. I have read that in the high season, the outside seating area fills with tourists ending their day of sightseeing, with cava and oysters. Since our Mediterranean cruise took us there in the off-season, the crowd was more local. After the wine tasting we explored the Gothic area before heading back to the cruise port in a taxi.

I am so glad to have discovered La Vinya del Senyor from an earlier post in the Wine Enthusiast. The author described it a place to experience good wines; so naturally I put it at the top of my list. I invite you to join me in my Mediterranean Sea travels and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations.

CHEERS!

Sharon

March 1, 2026

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Cathedral, Plaça Nova, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

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Earlier Visit to Barcelona (February 2018)

I love the fact that our Spaswinefood travels often leads us to exciting places. When our February wine travels took us to Barcelona I took advantage of this opportunity to search for the best wine bar. I do admit it does take some serious work to find Barcelona’s best wine bar. Nevertheless, during our stopover I set out to do just that. First, I came up with a long list of potential places. I did manage to visit a few on the list. Here's what I discovered.

Cellarer Wine Bar, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

I get it that most visitors to Barcelona do touristy stuff. Believe me, there are lots of top sites to visit in this beautiful city, which is an internationally renown tourist destination. For this Spaswinefood enthusiast however, the typical touristy site seeing is not a priority.

Barcelona Cathedral © Spaswinefood

I must admit that Barcelona is a city with great architecture and museums. I did admire Barcelona's amazing backdrops while checking out its wine bars. On our way to Bar Brutal Wine Bar we passed the stunning Barcelona Cathedral. Later we would visit the nearby Picasso Museum however, when you are on a wine mission everything else is not a priority.

Bar Brutal
The first wine bar we visited was Can Cisa at Bar Brutal. Bar Brutal is known for its tasty tapas and natural wines, with the majority of the wines being biodynamic and organic.

Can Cisa Bar Brutal, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

The front entrance leads you into a wine shop and Can Cisa Wine Bar. There is also a restaurant at the back.

Bar Brutal, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

We began with wines from DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat.

1. Joan D'Anguera, Planella DO Montsant 2015
2. Terroir Al Límit Soc. Lda.,Vi de Vil de Torroja DOQ Priorat 2016

Planella DO Montsant 2015, and Vi de Vil de Torroja DOQ Priorat 2016 © Spaswinefood

After tasting these two awesome wines we decided on a DO Conca de Barberá wine to go with our tapas.

Coll de Sabater, DO Conca de Barberá 2011

Coll de Sabater, DO Conca de Barberá 2011 © Spaswinefood

Given we arrived too late for lunch so we ordered some cheese.

Cheese Plate © Spaswinefood

Since it was between lunch and dinner menus they offered us the following tapas plates.

Afternoon Plate © Spaswinefood

Veggie Version of Afternoon Plate © Spaswinefood

We enjoyed the tapas and the wines.

Remembering Bar Brutal © Spaswinefood

After discovering these delightful wines we looked forward to exploring more Costa Daurada wines. I would highly recommend it for those wishing to explore Spanish biodynamic and organic wines.

Monvinic
Our hotel was just around the corner from Monvinic Wine Bar, which gets top reviews. It is located in a beautiful building. The wine bar offers an extensive digital list of wines from around the world.

Barcelona on a February Evening © Spaswinefood

When we visited Monvinic it was a rainy February evening. We were warmly received by the receptionist who greeted us, and pointed us towards the wine bar, next to the restaurant.

Monvinic, Barcelona © Spaswinefood

We decided to give the wine bar a try. Even though they offer an extensive list of international wines we were most interested in exploring Spanish wines.

Akilia Villa San Lorenzo, Bierzo 2015 © Spaswinefood

Our decision was to explore a Mencía wine from Bierzo DO.

Akilia Villa San Lorenzo © Spaswinefood

We also tasted some familiar Spanish wines.

Monvinic Wine Bar in Red and White © Spaswinefood

La Charla Verdejo Rueda DO, Tronat Emporda DO 2015 © Spaswinefood

Being a fan of Rueda DO Verdejo we ordered it, and an Emporda DO Tronat (a Merlot, Granache, and Sarah blend). We did order some tapas to accompany these wines.

A Tapas Affair, Monvinic © Spaswinefood

We also ordered fried artichokes.

Artichoke Tapas, Monvinic © Spaswinefood

I have read that their restaurant is quite good. We did plan to return for dinner, but ran out of time. They also offer lunch specials, which also sound exciting to me.

Lunch Menus, Monvinic © Spaswinefood

Obviously, I need to return to Monvinic to checkout their restaurant.

Wine Board, Monvinic © Spaswinefood

Cellarer Wine Bar
Our last day in Barcelona we met a #winelover friend at Cellarer Wine Bar. Earlier that day we visited their wine shop by the same name. Actually, this wine bar was not on the lists I researched however, when I looked online for a wine shop nearby I discovered it.

Our Cellarer Wine Bar outing continued after our friend left for the opera.

A wine bar is often a great alternative to a restaurant when they offer small plates. We tried some of Cellarer's tapa offerings.

Let's take a closer look at the tapas.

Here are some of the wines we tasted during our visit.
Alabamar Albarino, Rias Baixas 2016

Torre de Uña Reserva Rioja 2012

Canals & Munné Gran Reserva Cava

There was one French wine included:
Jean-Luc Baldes, Clos Triguedina Chenin 2015

Canals & Munné Blanc de Blanc Penedés

The red wines included the following:
Vinyes Domènech, Furvus; and Ramon Andreu, Disset Garnatxa Negra

Our wine tasting at Cellarer was a perfect opportunity to sample from various the various wine regions of Spain, such as Rias Baixas, Rioja, and Penedés. Nevertheless, during this visit I was primarily interested in exploring wines from Costa Daurada.

Of course that February evening in Barcelona at the Cellarer Wine Bar was a hit for us.

Of the wine bars that I visited Cellarer would be my first choice overall. It provided the best opportunity for me to explore and discuss the wines. As I write this article I am not surprised to find that this wine bar is now on the lists of top wine bars, and is getting great reviews.

Zona D'Ombra
There are of course those places you put on your list to visit but it does not happen. We did stop by Zona D'Ombra to find out they are not open that day. Given it was on a rainy February day we quickly made alternative plans.

Research to be Continued
I was always on the look out for wine bars during our Barcelona walks. I did spot a few, such as Praktik Hotel Vinoteca. Indeed, I need to continue my wine bar research.

I would like to continue looking to find those extra special wine bars in Barcelona. I still remember finding such a place in Athens, Greece. A few years ago when I arrived in Athens for a #winelover gathering I just happen to connect with a facebook friend who owned a wine bar in Central Athens. That wine bar was Cinque. Some places are special because of the people. For Cinque it is not just because they are nice but also because they are knowledgeable about the wines and bring a special passion to serving wine at their wine bar. What I encountered on that initial #winelover outing, (Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2016) at the Cinque Wine Bar and Deli was not only great wines and food, but also amazing hospitality from the owners who are both knowledgeable and passionate about Greek wines.

I loved the discoveries we made during our Barcelona walks. Naturally, there are too many wine bars in Barcelona to explore during a 3-4 day visit. At the end of this article there are some links that I found helpful. Barcelona's wine bar scene was a great introduction to Spanish wine country for us. After leaving Barcelona we traveled onto Costa Daurada where we visited the DO Tarragona, DO Conca de Barberá, DO Montsant, and DOQ Priorat wine appellations. I invite you to join me in my explorations in Barcelona and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2018
Barcelona, Spain

Follow me on Bluesky and Facebook

Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Our Mediterranean Cruise stop in Barcelona : La Vinya del Senyor wine bar

Aitaren 'Lurretik' Getariako Txakolina 2023

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Our Mediterranean Cruise stop in Barcelona : La Vinya del Senyor wine bar

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