You are now already halfway through Porrera on the way to Torroja (remember: Reus – Coll de la Teixeta through the tunnel, then take a right to Porrera, and after 6 km you will arrive in Torroja).

Porrera is also a good place for buying bread and other foods, good-quality lamb, and home-made “Cocas” (a typical sweet Catalan snack, sort of like sweet pizzas, it’s really hard to describe). You can also stroll through the village and try to find all of its 12 sundials (all on house façades, and all of them renovated).

The leading winegrower in Porrera is a Catalan institution, so-to-speak. The so-called “Vintner“ is one of Catalonia’s leading singer/songwriters – Lluis Llac – whose sad songs were feared and groundbreaking during the Franco dictatorship. But some of them are simply dedicated to the area the singer grew up in and to which he has returned (his CD on Porrera is famous all over Catalonia and listening to it is a truly enriching experience). His love for the country and its people shines through every word and tune, and naturally his wine is exquisite and, needless to say, in the ”expensive to very expensive“ price range. But not to worry: Porrera offers many other Bodegas waiting to be visited.

Another fact which makes Porrera very interesting, at least to the gourmets among us, is the Restaurant La Cooperativa which is managed by a young ”repatriate“ couple. They are called repatriates because they left the country years ago, only to find themselves consumed by homesickness, and returned. Their style is reminiscent of “grandmother’s home cooking“,  albeit with a pinch of Haute Cuisine. Meals are 12 Euros during the week, and it’s a very worthwhile experience.