Vilafranca del Penedès is a town located in the province of Barcelona, Spain, in the heart of one of the most important wine regions of the country: the Penedès. With a winemaking tradition dating back to Roman times, Vilafranca is an ideal destination for lovers of wine and wine culture.

Wine tourism is one of the main tourist activities in the region, and Vilafranca is a must for visitors wishing to discover the world of wine and local culture. With numerous wineries, cooperatives and vineyards in the surrounding area, tourists can enjoy wine tastings, guided tours of the wineries, and other activities related to wine production and tasting.

Wine production in the region is diverse, and a wide variety of wines are produced, from dry and fruity whites to intense and powerful reds. The most common grape varieties in the area are xarel-lo, parellada and macabeu, which are used to make cava, a sparkling wine typical of the region. The region is also known for its red wines made from Grenache, Carignan and Tempranillo grapes.

The Vinseum, the logical response to the relevance of wine in Vilafranca del Penedès

The Vinseum is Vilafranca del Penedès’ response to the importance of wine in the area. This place is the Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia and has an extensive collection of objects, tools and instruments, both ancient and modern, that illustrate the evolution of vine cultivation and winemaking. It also has models and authentic models that show how technology has been applied to vine cultivation and winemaking. There are also collections of art, geology, palaeontology, ornithology and archaeology. The museum also has a documentary centre on the world of wine and a collection of plastic arts in which wine is the protagonist.

The Vinseum has a history that dates back to 1926, when the Penedès Art Exhibition was inaugurated and a new teacher, Father Martí Grivé, joined the College of Sant Ramon de Penyafort. In 1934, a joint commission of the Town Council and the museum was formed and obtained a centrally located municipal building near the former convent of the Trinitarians. This initiative led to the creation of the first board of trustees of the Vilafranca Museum on 14th August 1935. However, the work came to a standstill when the war broke out.

After the war, the Museum was given a boost with the introduction of new orientations, and in 1945, the first Wine Museum founded in Spain was inaugurated. From the 1960s onwards, the incorporation of large donations generated a strong impulse in the Museum, which enlarged its premises to adapt the immense heritage acquired in new exhibition rooms.

In the year 2000, the coordination of the Vilafranca Town Council and the Caja de Ahorros del Penedès led to the creation of the entity Museo de Vilafranca – Museo del Vino, Fundación Privada. This gave rise to new approaches that encourage interaction between the museum and society, promote local creativity and claim a better knowledge of the world of the vine and wine, which turns the museum into Vinseum, Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia.