A masterclass in time-travel

A masterclass in time-travel

To say the Torres family is committed to sustainability and to championing their homeland of Catalonia would be a monumental understatement.

Quoting wine writing royalty, Jancis Robinson: ‘Miguel Torres Sr was just about the first wine producer I came across who realised that drastic action was needed in the face of climate change, and he redesigned the family winery, vineyards and practices with that in mind.’

To the Torres’s, expressing their place and its unique, historic flavours, goes hand in hand with environmental considerations. How to retain identity, traditions and, of course, quality, in the unquestionable face of climate change?

The Ancestral Varieties programme is one of their answers to that critical question.

For a longer, more detailed account than this piece has scope for, this article by The Buyer is a must-read.

In brief, the project began in 1983, when Miguel Torres Senior began his search for the lost, ancient, pre-phylloxera grape varieties of Catalonia.

The aims: to rediscover lost flavours, to uncover grape varieties naturally suited to the region’s unique terroirs and – as the project developed – identify those Ancestral Varieties most adaptable to climate change – those which could thrive where others couldn’t.

In the mid-1980s they had their first breakthrough, discovering an unidentified vine on a small terrace, which they eventually established as Garró.

After 10 years of minute study, Garró entered commercial planting, followed by many more varieties. Today, several have found happy homes in Catalan vineyards once again, and their wines have made it to bottle.

Not a side-project, but an identity – and an ongoing mission

Critically, this isn’t something Torres are just playing around with – a small, curious side-project intended for small-batch wines.

The very purpose of the programme is to bring these varieties into broad usage, future-proofing their flavours, and their vineyards of production.

So much so that, besides the single variety bottlings they produce, they have begun making their way into the Torres core range – at every tier of prestige. The latest vintage of their superb Purgatori (2022) contains a significant proportion of Gonfaus, a grape of which Jancis Robinson said: ‘masses of charm. This is definitely a variety to follow.’

Nor are they parochial about these varieties. Torres has a history of co-operation with other winemakers to affect meaningful change, and they have made the varieties available for others to plant and use.

Importantly, the results taste delicious. Quoting Jancis again: ‘These vines are so obviously right at home here. [They] seem to me to be really worthwhile additions to the palette of wine-grape varieties.’

Today the mission continues – and broadens. Next on the to-do list: to achieve the same in the other regions in which Torres works: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Rias Baixas and beyond.

The world is full of delicious wines and innovative winemakers – that’s why we do this, and why we love it so much. But few projects are as fascinating, as deeply-researched, as collegiate, and as vital to the next generation of wines as this one.

We can’t wait to see – and taste – where the Torres family takes us next.