We’re Not Leaving Yet: More on Spain

April 20, 2011 at 9:36 pm John Davis Leave a comment

In my last blogpost, I announced I’d take you on a year-long virtual trip to the world’s famous wine regions, starting in Spain. Our itinerary called for visiting Germany next but, as with travel in the real world, there’s been a last-minute change in plans. Instead, we’re hanging out in Spain a bit longer.

My recent trip to Spain was to attend a meeting of the International Wine Clubs Association, a networking group that meets twice a year. The meeting took place in Barcelona, the Spanish capital of Catalonia and truly an international city with wide boulevards, exciting restaurants, stunning architecture and a very energetic night life. Throw in the fact that Barcelona is also Spain’s cultural center and you’ve got quite a vibrant city to explore and discover.

East of Barcelona is the Penedes, This famedwine growing district is home not only to cavas (sparkling wines made using the French method) and large plantings of international grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but also to the legendary Torres Winery.

The driving force behind Torres is Miguel Torres, who single-handedly fostered a revolution in Spanish wine making when he began work in the family business in 1962. Through his efforts, the taste of Spanish wines was transformed and the Penedes region became a globally recognized fine wine region. Miguel and his winery have received just about every international award bestowed in the wine industry.

I’ve been familiar with Torres wines since the late 1960s and for several decades I’ve been hearing about the Torres family. My father-in-law, at the time a dentist, happened to meet several members of the Torres family at a US tasting. He provided them with his professional services and they were so appreciative of his work that they arranged for him to lecture at several Spanish dental schools. This story has been a big part of our family’s lore.

Now, forty years later, I’m sitting next to Miguel Torres at a delicious lunch served at his winery. When I mentioned my father-in-law Miguel instantly pulled a toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste from his jacket pocket. He enthusiastically told me he still follows the dental care plan my father-in-law prescribed.

Well, it’s not every day I get to have lunch with a true wine legend and have my picture taken with a famous toothbrush and toothpaste.

The winery tour and the lunch were superb as was the opportunity to meet Miguel Torres.

Kind regards,

John Davis, founder, Wine Insiders

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