Before dinner｜Vermut Casals

The opening is a glass of Catalan-style red-scented mug of wormwood, with bitter and sweet herbs, slight orange peel and spices. Drinking on ice is a very authentic Spanish appetizer. Its role is not to be the protagonist, but to open the taste buds and slow down the rhythm. It goes well with the tomato bread on the table.

Bubbles｜Cuvée Esplendor de Vardon Kennett

The second bubble is the top traditional French bubble of the Vardon Kennett series, which is the 2018 Cuvée Esplendor. Penedès was originally the base camp of Cava, but Vardon Kennett took a more refined route from high-altitude grapes, with fine bubbles and high acidity.

Native white｜Forcada

Forcada is worth saying separately. The 2023 vintage was poured on the same day, and the wine label said "Varietat Recuperada nº 23" (No. 23 rehabilitation variety), from the Mas Rabassa park at an altitude of 510 meters, with an alcohol content of 12.5%-just look at this label to know that Torres regards rehabilitation as a long-term numbered file.The plan is being done, not a marketing stunt. It is one of the native white grape varieties cultivated by Torres. It was once almost extinct in Penedès. It has a high acidity and comes from a higher altitude. It takes a refreshing and skeletal route.

Bringing a "nearly disappeared variety" to the table itself echoes the theme of "seed preservation and sustainability" throughout the trip-this glass is not just wine, but a memory of the production area that was rescued.

Legendary Red｜Gran Coronas Reserva

This is the "named wine" in your mouth. Let me help you who understand wine tell the story more accurately. In 1979, the French food authority Gault &Millau held a blind tasting of the "Wine Olympiad" in Paris. Torres used the 1970 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Mas La Plana vineyard to participate in the competition-the team was called Gran Coronas (Black label/Etiqueta Negra) that year-and won the first place in the Cabernet group, putting the Winery Latour In 1970, these famous Bordeaux estates fell behind, and World War I put Penedès on the map of the world. Later, this champion wine was independently named Mas La Plana.

So to be precise: the Gran Coronas Reserva that was poured that day is homologous to the legendary same name and is connected by blood, but strictly speaking it is not the black label that won the championship in 1979 (today's black label is called Mas La Plana, and Gran Coronas is its next-level wine, which has not been used. Made from the standard fruit of Mas La Plana). This does not damage its good taste, nor does it damage the weight of the story. It's just that as Choosy Chou, I would rather make this line clear than vaguely make you think you have drunk the champion deity. It comes with a cold knowledge that is often confused: many people confuse "Spanish wine beats Bordeaux" with the famous "Paris Trial" in 1976-not the same one. The Paris trial was California vs. Bordeaux, and Torres relied on the 1979 Gault-Millau.

Plus｜Magdala Orange Liqueur

The itinerary said "four selected wines", but it was actually five on the day-in the end, one more Magdala was added. This is the work of Juan Torres Master Distillers, Torres' spirits division: the orange peel is soaked in its own small batches of grape brandy, and then aged in old oak barrels with an alcohol content of 39%. The formula has been guarded by the chief distiller and will not be spread out. By the way, Torres' qualifications for making distilled wine can be traced back to the second generation of Juan Torres Casals in 1928-this family not only made wine, but also made brandy for nearly a hundred years.

I will mention it in particular because this addition makes up the last piece of the complete tasting puzzle: from pre-dinner moxa, white wine, red wine, and sparkling wine, all the way to liqueur-it's equivalent to using a table to take Torres' product line all the way from the vineyard to the vineyard.Distillation chamber. Drinking five bottles at the price of "four wines", this kind of silent increase, the somatosensory feeling is very good.

Tomato bread (pa amb tomàquet)

The tomato bread (pa amb tomàquet) is the most authentic bite in the audience: it's not for you to wipe it and serve it, but for you to bake the bread, smear it with garlic, smear it with their own tomatoes, and then drizzle it with olive oil. Tomatoes are grown by the manor. The sweetness and acidity cannot deceive people. This is the prototype that Catalonians eat every day.

Anchovy escalivada pancakes

Anchovy escalivada pancakes are a bit like a thin slice of pizza-escalivada is a charcoal-grilled vegetable from Catalonia (mostly sweet peppers and eggplants), spread on the pancake and then put anchovy. The salty flavor and the smoky sweetness of the vegetables take each other away.

Spanish baked eggs (tortilla de patatas)

The Spanish baked egg (tortilla de patatas) is a very authentic practice: the authentic tortilla pays attention to the shape of the outer edge and the moisture in the center, rather than the quiche that is fried until it is completely dry. The heat is just right.

The local feta cheese is also made by their own sheep-this kind of detail, which is produced in one stop from vegetables, chickens to sheep, is the place where the sincerity can be most felt when the whole table is eaten.

Pastoral vegetable soup

The pastoral vegetable soup that day was a bowl of pumpkin soup. The vegetables came from their own vegetable garden. It tasted warm, sweet and natural. It was a very home-cooked stomach-warming soup.

Catalonian chicken stew

The Catalonian chicken stew is an unexpected surprise. The chicken is very soft and delicious. If you ask them, it is their own chicken. No wonder the meat quality is not of the same grade as the general group meal.

mató

The final mató is a kind of fresh Catalan curd, topped with honey produced by Mas La Plana Manor. The taste is a bit like cheese pudding, smooth and slightly sweet, just right for finishing.

Vineyard Tour｜Solar Electric Train

After you are full, take a solar-powered electric train through the vineyard. This small train itself is the epitome of Torres' sustainable route-it doesn't burn oil, it's quiet, and it's comfortable to sit up. It's just that at the beginning of March when I went, the vines hadn't sprouted yet, and the whole piece was brown branches. To be honest, the picture of the vineyard was discounted. "Sister is very good at filling up positions, and she will clearly explain the variety, soil, and slope along the road. After listening, she will have a concept of "Why can good wine be grown in this land", rather than looking at a field empty.

Waltraud Wine Cellar Tour

This is the part I think is the most worthwhile part of the whole trip. Walk into the Waltraud wine cellar (named after Miguel A. Torres' wife, who is also the name of one of their Riesling), the temperature and humidity, the oak barrel array, and the rhythm of aging are all discussed in great detail. It doesn't matter if you can't see the grapes in winter and spring, the wine cellar is there all year round, and this kind of "behind the scenes" experience is something that ordinary wineries can't give. The whole process is in Chinese, the elders don't have to keep asking "What did he just say", the body feels very relaxed.