El Celleret: The Joys of Dining amid the Vineyards

By Laura Conde, wine writer 

Nestled into the Mas La Plana estate, in Pacs del Penedès, is El Celleret, Familia Torres’s restaurant, which pays homage to the finest locally sourced ingredients and the house’s wines. El Celleret is no ordinary restaurant, but an exceptional place that captivates us even before we arrive, as we make our way along winding country roads, with vineyards on either side, where time seems to stand still.  The views of Montserrat mountain meld with the vineyards that stretch out before us, setting a harmonious scene in which to enjoy traditional fare in a place that, above all else, is steeped in wine culture. 

Roasted pumpkin with stracciatella at El Celleret restaurant 

The dishes served in the spacious dining room of El Celleret, with its enormous windows revealing the surrounding nature, celebrate seasonal, locally sourced products, transforming fresh ingredients into simple, authentic recipes that, in one way or another, are all part of our life stories. From Catalan tomato bread with extra virgin olive oil or a tasting of Torres oils with country-style bread to seasonal dishes like mushroom cream soup, roasted aubergine escalivada, and El Celleret’s own take on xató, a frisé, salt-cod, tuna, and anchovy salad topped with its namesake nutty, spicy red pepper and tomato sauce. Every dish is made from only the finest fresh ingredients with wine in mind, resulting in complete wine-and-food experiences.  

Familia Torres’s El Celleret Restaurant 

The main courses deserve a special mention, ranging from creamy veggie and mushroom rice to cannelloni stuffed with oven-roasted meat or meatballs in a red wine sauce, to name just a few. El Celleret also serves an excellent selection of charcoal-grilled meats and fish, such as Ripoll beef picaña (sirloin cap) or Mallart butifarra sausage produced by the Fundació Mas Albornà, a foundation based in Alt Penedès and dedicated to improving the lives of people with physical disabilities, mental health issues or who are at risk of social exclusion.  

But that’s not all. El Celleret cultivates an organic vegetable garden and keeps its own Penedès hens and cockerels, thereby showing its commitment to sustainability and respect for the Earth and the environment. This is also reflected in one of the restaurant’s most celebrated desserts: mató cheesecake with honey from the Mas La Plana estate and carquinyoli almond biscuits, which finds a worthy rival in options as irresistible as chocolate cream with olive oil and salt. A timeless classic.  

However, what truly sets this Penedès enclave apart is that, from the moment we arrive, it envelops us in a palpable passion for wine. This shines through in the generous wine list featuring Familia Torres’s most prized names, from the California wines of Marimar Estate to the Galician wines of Torre Penelas, the classics of Jean Leon or those of Ribera del Duero, and many more. And, it goes without saying, the list boasts a selection of the finest wines from Penedès and other Catalan appellations of origin like Priorat or Conca de Barberà.  

The El Celleret terrace, an absolute delight on summer evenings   

And so, for anyone visiting Mas La Plana, El Celleret is a whole lot more than a roadside stop for lunch – it offers the chance to savour exceptional wines in the very place where they are grown and made. Nothing rounds out the meal and subsequent conversations over coffee and/or digestif than a postprandial walk amid the vineyards of Mas La Plana. This flagship Familia Torres estate reveals a confluence of history, climate, geology, and biodiversity that gave rise to Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon. And there’s no better way to discover it than opening a bottle and raising a glass to this lovely grape at El Celleret.  

El Celleret 

Finca el Maset, s/n, 08796 Pacs del Penedès, Barcelona 
Tel. 93 817 78 81 

Reservations: https://www.torres.es/en/wine-and-food