A trip to Spain is incomplete without a trip to the Torres vineyard, which is an altogether new world, feels Vishakha Talreja Guha
They say everything in life tastes better with a glass of wine. So how about being amidst all that’s to do with making wine. Now a winery tour might not be everybody’s cup of tea or rather glass-of-wine, but I discovered on a recent visit to Spain that it added zing to my holiday. As Homer stated in Odyssey, ?Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile?, my trip was full of fun, frolic and some serious smiling.
The choice of course was to visit the vineyard of Miguel Torres in Pened?s. The story goes like this: About three centuries ago, the Torres family settled in the Pened?s, a winemaking region since phonecian times. Since then the Torres surname has been synonymous with wines. And the fact that I’ve had a fleeting romance with their wines in India only whetted my appetite to visit the winery and find out what goes into transforming the ‘local’ into ‘global’, as Torres wines are available in more than 140 countries.
On a sunny winter morning, Pened?s was a smooth, one-hour drive from Barcelona, away from the hustle-bustle of the city, tucked in the serene countryside. On reaching the winery, a wine expert greeted us and guided us to the auditorium. After viewing a short film on the history of the Torres family and the winery, we headed to the ‘Tunnel of the seasons’–a multimedia experience which introduced us to the various aromas of the vineyard during the four different seasons, a sensual journey through the transformation of grapes into wine.
Before we got to the fun part of the tour, a train ride through the vineyard, we visited the Torres museum, which houses some of the old wine mixers and apparatus from the medieval era used for wine making. And then we hopped onto the mini-train that took us around the picturesque vineyard. However, winters is not the best time to visit a European vineyard. But for first-timers, it is still an exhilarating and an insightful experience. On the train we also had company of the audio-guide system, besides our wine expert, who took us to different parts of the cellar?the storage room which had barrels and barrels of red wines in different stages of ageing. After stopovers at the old and the new cellars, we headed to the unloading and the vinification area, where the fermentation of the grapes is done. The gigantic machines, scores of bottles on a conveyor belt and men at work?it’s a whole new world, and quite a heady one at that. There is a lot that goes into that quintessential bottle of wine!
Wine tasting is of course the most awaited part of a winery tour. At Torres Pened?s, while the smoothness and richness of ‘Mas La Plana’ and sought after ‘Gran Coronas’ tickled our taste buds, I had an equally fascinating affair with the innovative Natureo wine. Though Natureo wine tastes like red wine, it is actually alcohol free! The expert shared the background of each wine and helped us taste it in a correct fashion, which helped us enjoy the wine better.
After soaking in the winery experience for couple of hours, it was time to have lunch at the family restaurant, Mas Rabell, a cosy set-up that has an old world charm and that vivacious Spanish feel. Authentic Spanish food matched with the best of wines was a really intoxicating combination. So it was Vina Esmeralda to go with ensalda–Spanish for our good old salad?and the Gran Sangre de Toro with Fritos Secos, that is nuts and dried fruits. The award winning Mas La Plana was once again served with the main course, and Torres brandy with the dessert. Shall we ask what’s Spanish for the word ‘perfect’? Wine pairing is indeed an interesting, if tricky, aspect of wine culture.
But that’s not the end of the tour. A must-do at the winery is some shopping at the in-house wine shop. Though it’s not cheaper to buy here (and you might actually get a better deal at wholesale retail shops in Barcelona), but at least you know what you are getting. And then what good is a wine if it doesn’t get the price it deserves.