Half an hour from Barcelona, built on land watered by the River Noya, SANT SADURNÍ D'ANOIA has been an important centre of wine production since the eighteenth century. When, at the end of the nineteenth century, French vineyards suffered heavily from disease, Sant Sadurní prospered, though later it too succumbed to the same wasting disease - something remembered still in the annual September festival by the parade of a representation of the feared Philoxera parasite. The production of cava , for which the town is now famous, began only in the 1870s, an industry that went hand in hand with the Catalan cork business, carried on in the forests of the hinterland. Today, a hundred million bottles a year of cava - the Catalan méthode champenoise - are turned out by two-score companies, many of which are only too happy to escort you around their premises, show you the complicated fermentation process, and let you taste the odd glass or two into the bargain.
The town itself is of virtually no interest, but it hardly matters since most people never get any further than the most prominent (and most famous) company, Freixenet , whose building is right outside the train station (call 938 917 000 to reserve a place: tours Mon-Thurs at 10am, 11.30am, 3.30pm and 5pm; Fri 10 & 11.30am; free). Many of the other companies have similar arrangements, with tours at similar times, and some of the most popular are signposted throughout the town -including Cordoniu (with a fine building by Puig i Cadafalch; tel 938 183 232 for information), Juvé i Camps, Torelló, Torre-Blanca, Castell de Vilarnau, Portabella i Coma, Canals i Domingo and Berral i Miró. You can pick up a map of the town listing all the cava producers at the tourist office , which is in the Ajuntament in the main square, Plaça de la Vila; from the station, cross the river and walk up the hill, turning left at the top for the square.

If you don't want to wine-taste on an empty stomach, Restaurant La Terrassa , c/Josep A. Clavé 14, has an outdoor grill and a good menú del dia , as well as a wine list featuring some of the local cavas . From the main square, head up c/Escayola and c/Raval and it's down on the right.