Russell in Spain: T.J. y Familia come to visit!

T.J. Garcia and his family came to visit last week. They are members of the Wine Club at Barons Creek. The group included his wife, Denise, and their daughter, Allison. Allison's husband, Jeremy, and his parents, Dorinda and Jim, were also with the group. They toured Montsant and Priorat for two and a half days before heading out on a nine day cruise from Barcelona.
   The group hired my friends Ania and Gerard with Travel Priorat to take them around. Travel Priorat does a great job and I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to really get to know this area. Ania and Gerard know everybody and can get you into places it would be difficult to see on your own.
   They arrived on Thursday and, after they checked into Hotel Lotus, we took a taxi ride out to look at my vineyards. We went back to El Masroig and took a tour of the village. We ended up at the Casal for a beer. They returned to Falset for dinner.
   The next day, they toured several wineries including Clos Mogador and Merum Priorat. These are two stunning properties and are hard to visit on your own. I met them for lunch in Gratallops at the Clos Figuera restaurant where we tried some lovely wine from Clos Figuera. The meal was excellent!
   On Saturday, the group went to more wineries including Mas Doix and Capafons. Mas Doix is a new discovery for me. Their wines are really good and the people are nice. They are building a new facility just outside Poboleda. We had lunch at the Cooperativa Restaurant in Porrera. The food was also very good and the owner is a friendly and lively character.
   I regret I wasn't able to spend more time with T.J. and his family. Unfortunately, their visit coincided with a busier than usual time for me. They are all wonderful and interesting people. It's great to see an extended family adventuring together and everyone getting along. T.J. and Denise talked about coming back to the area for a longer stay. I hope they will!
¡Gracias de nuevo T.J. y familia!