No contest on quality

DNA analysis then establishes whether they are truly unknown, and then, using just a tiny piece of vine we can propagate them and plant up small vineyards to evaluate them. We have discovered 23 old grape varieties which had been lost and were on the brink of extinction. Many of them have characters and flavours which give individuality and personality to a wine. They provide a true taste of the region. One day we will write a book about these old vines and we will have the wines to accompany the text."

With a quiet, intelligent manner, Mireia Torres could easily belong in viticultural research station, but as technical director of Torres, one of Spain's foremost wine companies, she is not just responsible for a small piece of interesting research; she directs and controls the winemaking of all wines sold under this famous brand.

Discovering these old vines is not just an intellectual exercise, but it is a way of maintaining biological diversity in this part of Catalonia. These varieties may have been lost because of neglect, disease or just because someone decided to make another style of wine, but by selecting and developing old varieties, Torres is ensuring that the tide is held back against uniform, standard wines.

I was visiting Torres to catch up on their research, their wines and to visit some of their vineyards, but all this information was not really for my benefit. Guests of honour for our in-depth visit to this company were Yorkshire Post reader John Dyer with his partner Dee, winners of the 2009 Fiendish Wine Quiz. John's skill at unravelling the answers to 30 extremely tricky wine questions had won them an all-expenses paid trip to the Peneds region of Spain to see how Torres create their wines.

Torres is a long-established company with a range of wines that starts at the good value, well-made level and climbs the price scale up to rare gems that can challenge some of the best in the world.

Their leap to fame was 30 years ago when Torres Coronas Black Label 1970 came out top in a blind tasting against some of Bordeaux's famous names such as Latour and Haut-Brion.

This event shook the wine world to its roots and since then they have repeated that feat, in formal and informal blind tastings, when various wines from their range have out-performed and out-classed wines that cost significantly more. Still family-owned and run, the man in charge is Miguel Torres.

He has been the driving force for many years and was the first in Spain to really investigate the relationship between grape varieties and their vineyard sites. He pioneered site selection, making sure that altitude, micro-climate and soil type were correctly matched to each variety to get the best from each grape.

The sun was shining as we landed in Barcelona, and continued to shine for the whole of the trip. We headed out to Mas la Plana, the heart of the Torres operation and home to one of Torres single-vineyard wines. Carefully manicured vineyards, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon were just beginning to flower, the delicately-scented clusters starting the process of grape-production. Close by is Mas Rabell, the estate where the famous Torres brandy matures for decades and where we met Miguel's daughter, Mireia Torres for lunch.

It is not often that I am impressed by anything non-alcoholic, but the new addition to the portfolio, Natureo 2009 (6.99 Mitchells 0114 274 5587), is a refreshing, grapey, almost alcohol-free wine which we sipped as an aperitif

while Mireia talked about the company and its philosophy.

Torres is not just interested in preserving the past with their grape varieties project; they are also actively engaged in managing their environment. Solar panels, wind power and recycling are all part of the company policy, and there are energy initiatives across all their sites – 25 per cent of their 2000 hectares of vines are cultivated organically.

Moving on to a soft creamy, Marimar Estate Acero Chardonnay 2007 from Torres' Californian outpost (about 37) served with gazpacho and langoustines, we talked about the way that Torres has developed its single-estate wines making the most of the hillside locations which rise up from the coast.

Sauvignon Blanc is planted on iron-rich soils at cooler, higher altitudes to produce the crisp, asparagus and mint-zested Fransola while the rounder, softer flavours of 100 per cent Chardonnay Milmanda is planted on richer soils.

"It is like bringing part of the character of the vineyard to the wine," said Mireia.

More wines were tasted through lunch to emphasise the way these wines harmonise with food. Miguel Torres, lunching nearby with the Canadian Ambassador took time to come over and say hello to John and Dee. A tour of the winery followed, but this was not just rows of identical stainless steel tanks. There were separate areas for small scale batches of wine, while the newly-opened Waltraud winery specialises in the single-estate wines and bristles with new oak and hi-tech style.

The next day it was time to see all these initiatives put into action, so we headed inland to Milmanda, where a medieval castle dominates the landscape and provides a focus for the vineyards. Another tasting of single vineyard wines, then on to Grans Muralles, where the ancient grape varieties, of Sams and Garr, recently revived and replanted, add their own particular nuances to this complex, elegant wine.

More wines over lunch, with a spot of sightseeing and another chance to taste more wines at the Torres Vinoteca in Barcelona rounded off the trip. In all, this provided a fabulous insight, not only into the wines of Torres, but into this particularly lovely part of Spain.

Was it worth the effort of doing the competition? "Absolutely," said John. "I would encourage everyone to have a go. We have had such privileged access to everyone here; we have tasted some fantastic wines, and had a terrific time. I'll certainly do the competition again this year, although I probably won't send it in, just to give other readers a chance!"

My thanks to everyone at Torres who provided such an excellent experience. I have no idea where we will be going next year.

This trip will be difficult to follow.

The good value Torres wines such as Via Sol, Coronas and Sangre de Toro are widely available, in Majestic, Waitrose and others. For more specialised Torres wines, contact Mitchells in Sheffield who are able to source them.

YP MAG 26/6/10