People always ask me, “Pablo, how do you combine running with wine?” I laugh because for us, it’s not a combination; it’s the same thing, the same story. Here in Catalonia, the trails and the vineyards are completely tangled up together. That’s why our wine running holidays feel so right. You spend the whole day moving through the territory with your own two feet, feeling the slate and the sand under your shoes, smelling the wild herbs. Then, in the evening, you sit down and you taste that very same territory in a glass. It’s a full circle. It’s a conversation between the land and your senses, and your body is the translator.
Our Costa Brava wine running holidays are one connected story.
You have to understand, running isn’t just about fitness for us. We’ve always said it. It’s a way to travel, to explore, like our ancestors did. And here on the Costa Brava, that history is literally under your feet. The wine culture here goes back thousands of years. I remember running a trail near Empúries, the old Greek colony, and I could almost feel it. I imagined the Greeks landing on that shore, carrying their amphorae, planting the first vines. The name for this whole region, L’Empordà, comes from that ancient city. When we run here, we’re running through the very first pages of the story of Catalan wine.
Our wine adventure in Spain is a journey through time.
This isn’t some abstract history lesson you read in a book. You see it, you feel it. During our 7-day running trip, we pass ancient stone walls and olive groves that have been here for thousands of years. We run on trails that were once Roman roads, where merchants hauled wine from this very region across the empire. It changes how you see everything around you. It’s not just pretty scenery; it’s a living museum, and you’re running right through the main exhibit.
Vineyards, Monasteries, and the soul of our wine running holidays.
Later in the week, the story continues into the medieval ages. There’s this one day, it’s a tough but incredible run, where the trail just keeps climbing towards the Sant Pere de Rodes monastery. It’s perched way up high on a mountain, looking out over the sea. From up there, you can see the vineyards laid out below you, in terraces carved into the steep hills by monks a thousand years ago. They were the ones who kept the winemaking tradition alive. You stand there, sweating, heart pounding from the climb, and you realize you’re looking at a view that has barely changed in centuries. You’re connected to those people, to the hard work of their hands.
Meet Romina, our friend and guide to the true taste of Empordà.
After a run like that, we don’t just open any bottle. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to have our friend Romina Ribera join us for the evening. She’s an amazing person—an archaeologist who became a sommelier. She runs a project called Glops d’Història, which means “Sips of History,” and that’s exactly what she gives us. It’s more than a tasting; it’s a continuation of the day’s run.
I remember one time, we were sitting outside, all of us tired and covered in dust. Romina poured this deep red Garnatxa. She didn’t start with fancy words about berries or oak. Instead, she picked up a piece of the local slate, the same rock we’d been running on all day. She held it up and said, “This. Can you taste this in the wine? The minerality? The sun that baked this rock all day?” And just like that, everyone got it. It clicked. That’s the real connection.
Romina challenges that whole idea of “good” and “bad” wine. She talks about the “dictatorship of taste,” how for centuries, what was considered “good” was just what the French kings were drinking. She pushes us to find the identity of the place in the glass. Is it honest? Does it reflect the Empordà? That’s what matters. It’s the same philosophy we have at NomaTrails. We aren’t here for a packaged tour; we are here to experience the real soul of a place. The official DO Empordà recognition was a huge step, but the real quality comes from the families who have worked this land for generations, some with vines over a century old.
The wineries are growing, but the soul remains.
The wines from Empordà are now sent to over 50 countries, which is incredible. But what I love is that the character is still here. These aren’t industrial wines. Many are made by people we know personally, friends who are protecting this heritage. When you sit at their table and drink their wine, you’re not just a customer. You’re part of their story, helping them keep this tradition alive against all the pressures of the modern world.
So yes, on our Costa Brava running adventures, you’ll taste a lot of wine. But it’s never an afterthought. It’s the final chapter of the day’s run. It’s the story of the ground you covered, told in a language that everyone, after a long day on the trail, understands perfectly. Cheers!
