😂 this is a funny video from wine.gini, who runs an Instagram account dedicated to wine. She was visiting the vineyards and wineries of the Empordà (area in the Costa Brava: the north coast of Catalonia) and kept finding an old friend... the Tramuntana.

Tramuntana is the northern wind, which is felt strongly in the Costa Brava but particularly in the Empordà. "Tramuntana" means "between the mountains", because it reaches us through the Massif Central in France and then the Pyrenee mountains in the North of Catalonia. Thus, it's a cold wind.

Interestingly, Gini's caption of this video also mentions why this wind is important for the local vineyards:

Natural protection: the Tramuntana keeps pests and diseases at bay, promoting healthier vines.

Temperature control: it regulates temperatures, preventing stress and ensuring gradual ripening.

Flavour intensity: its cool, dry influence enhances aromas and flavour complexity.

Sitges, Penedès, Catalonia. Vineyards in autumn.

These vineyards grow a special grape variety used to make malvasia, an aromatic sweet white wine typical from the city of Sitges.

According to legend, a Sitgetan man called Jofre brought the first vines of this variety from the Adriatic coast in the Middle Ages. He participated in the defence of Sicily under the orders of Roger de Llúria (c.1245-1305), and it was there where he first discovered how this drink was made by the friars in a Greek city-monastery called Malvasia, thought to be modern-day Monemvasia.

After centuries of cultivation in Sitges, nowadays malvasia is considered Sitges's most genuine product. It can only be purchased bottled in the town's wine cellars. The most renowned one is Sant Joan Baptista Hospital's cellar, which you can see in the photo.