Not every brandy has the right to be called cognac. By and large, they can only be called a drink made in the eponymous province of France. But if we talk about cognac production technology, then the Torres brandy is just that. In addition, the long history and worldwide fame of this brand should be taken into account. Now the vineyards of the Torres family are located not only in their native Catalonia (Spain), but also in South and North America and even in China. In this article we will talk about brandy, which for almost a hundred years has won the hearts of lovers of strong alcoholic drinks. Meet: this is Torres. About how to consume this drink, its characteristics and reviews about it read below.
The history of the Torres brandy
For more than three hundred years in a row, representatives of the Catalan family have been involved in winemaking. But the story of brandy began in 1870. Two brothers, Jamie and Miguel, decided not to produce wine, but distillates. They began to experiment with distillation and aging of the wort in huge vats. Success was achieved by the son of Miguel, Juan. It was he who, in 1928, produced the first bottle of Torres brandy. The novelty came to the taste of the Spaniards. Then there was just a fashion for distillates. But it cannot be said that the descendants of Juan Torres only passively collected cream from the invention of their ancestor. The outbreak of the Civil War almost destroyed the economy of the wine house. Juan's daughter, Marimar, continued producing brandy in North America, and her brother in Chile. Thus, almost the whole world learned about Torres. Now it is the most famous brand in Spain.
Cognac "Torres"?
Legally, this is brandy. According to the law on controlled names by origin, only drinks from the French province of Cognac can be called such. But that's the thing. In 1997, at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, judges during blind testing awarded the Torres distillate gold medal. Later the cards were revealed: it turned out that this drink comes from Spain. Then “Torres” entered the list of twenty best brandies in the world. Later, the drink confirmed its high quality. At the International Spirits Challenge, which took place in London in 2007, the Torres brandy with a shutter speed of twenty years won the gold medal. So those who continue to persistently call the drink cognac are right in their own way. After all, the Spanish house is fully committed to the technology of making French drinks. And it, by the way, was invented by the Dutch. The essence of the technology is the distillation of wine with oilcake and its further aging in oak barrels.
Products of the house "Torres": "5 Solera Reserve"
The brandy production line does not offer such a wide selection. And the names do not shine with originality. They are called ingenuously - by the number of years of aging. The time spent in barrels of various woods (mainly from oak species) affects the color and taste characteristics of the drink. At the foot of the price pyramid stands the Torres brandy with an aging of 5 years. This drink has a beautiful shade of topaz with sparks of greenish gold. The aromas of walnuts and dried fruits are felt in his bouquet. The taste opens with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Warms, envelops no worse than real brandy. It is advisable to drink this brandy in its pure form or with ice cubes. Users say that the price of six hundred and fifty rubles per bottle of seven hundred milliliters is incredibly low for a drink of such high quality.
Brandy Torres (10 years old): reviews
A decade is a perfectly acceptable period for the ripening of real cognac. The drink is husky in American oak barrels. And the wort is made from three white grape varieties grown in the Penedès area: Parelyada, Macabeo and Charello. Brandy, like sherry, ripens according to the cryadera solera system. This method consists in constantly pouring young alcohols into barrels, one quarter, and decanting old ones. Thanks to mixing, the unique taste of the Torres brandy (10 years) is achieved. Reviews assure that this drink of dark color with a golden tint has an amazing bouquet. Dried fruits and oak wood are felt in it. The taste of the drink is softer and wonderfully balanced. This is said by those users who have tried the five-year-old Torres and can compare. Ladies note a tart and sweet aftertaste that they really like. It's nice that the ten-year-old Torres is packed in gift tubes. Thus, an expensive purchase - seven hundred and fifty rubles for 700 ml - can serve as a worthy present.
Twenty Year Old Torres
Popular with gourmets, the Torres 10 Gran Reserva is a good kid. And the young man “Torres” is a noble grand with refined manners. At least such colorful comparisons are awarded to twenty-year-old Torres brandy reviews. It's time to describe the winner of the 2007 London contest. This drink spends a year in a barrel of oak, which grew in the French province of Limousin. Wood "gives" the wort necessary tannins. Parelyada grapes for brandy are harvested on the northern slopes of Penedès. The juice is pressed as gently as possible so that tannins from the skin and seeds do not get into the wort. Alcohols are distilled twice in distillation cubes from copper. The rest of the nineteen years old drink the drink in old oak barrels. By the way, it has a rich amber color, aroma with hints of almond and fruit with spices. To taste brandy, as noted by the reviews, it is very soft, with a light herbal bitterness. In the finale, notes of pear and dried fruit with vanilla are heard. The finish is average. In duty-free, its cost is about 27 euros. In Russian stores - twice as expensive.
"Jaime the First"
Now we will consider two elite specimens of the Torres brandy. The first is named in honor of King Aragon Jaime I. Alcohols for this brandy are made on the basis of grape varieties "folle blanche" and "paralade." The wort is distilled in copper cubes according to the method of solera and cryadera. Then, the specialists of the Torres wine house create a blend of age-related spirits. Brandy ripens in oak barrels from fifteen to thirty years. The drink takes on the color of dark amber. He has a rich bouquet dominated by fruity and floral notes. On taste, users are surprised to find shades of coconut, exotic spices and dried fruits. A bottle of high-end brandy costs about three thousand rubles.
Onorable
Honorable brand was released by the wine house in test mode. But the series, despite the high price, quickly sold out. Therefore, it was put into mass production. What is this noble Torres brandy? The photo shows a beautiful carafe containing a dark amber drink. The raw materials for the brandy are white grape varieties: Uni Blanc and Fol Blanche. In barrels of Limousin oak, the drink has been ripening for at least forty years. And since the Soler method is used in production, the ensemble includes alcohols from the 1960 crop. Maybe this determines the magical, complex bouquet of the drink with aromas of violets and oriental spices.