What: A toast to Torres wines

What: A toast to Torres wines

By : KITTY KAYE 2008/06/27
The highland estate of Milmanda is where Chardonnay finds the most favourable conditions for grapes to grow.
Torres wines of Spain are pleasant to drink, easy to appreciate and friendly to our sensibilities, writes KITTY KAYE.
Salmos are made from grapes grown on slopes strewn with hard, black slate-like stones.
Celeste is an opulent wine, reflecting the night sky of Ribera del Duero.
IMAGINE, there you are, a half hour late in preparing dinner and standing, wide-eyed in front of rows of wines in a supermarket. Ever been in that scenario? Well, I am in it constantly. Except that my tardiness varies between 10 and 20 minutes. Never half hour! I adore wines. I appreciate their uncomplicated ability to give me a nice explosion of flavours, allowing for the grapes’ terroir to tell their geographical history.This is then followed by a nice buzz. I don’t have to do anything except uncork the bottle. Life doesn’t come any simpler than this. Truly.Going back to the scenario, more often than not one tends to settle for an Australian. Or the Argentinian and Chilean which have a wide affordable and drinkable medium range.One tends to stay away from unfamiliar terrain. By which, I mean Italian, French or German other than the wallet-denting Chablis, of course. Readers, think a starving writer’s earnings, all right? Then there is the Spanish. Standing like an unfamiliar beacon on the row of shelves. We all know how lovely that country is, how people drink wines there and how much they produce there. Just their taste is unfamiliar.Spanish wineries are known as bodegas and the wine makers, bodegueros.As one of the third largest and old world wine producers, Spain knows what she is fermenting.Probably the most ubiquitous Spaniard name linked to Spanish wine is Torres. It is easily found here in supermarkets and established eateries such as La Bodega. Yes, you’ve spied the label many a time but never thought of trying it out, right?Well, Torres is a family of winemakers going back three centuries.Torres wines cater to a lazy palate accustomed to warm, Mediterranean weather. They are pleasant to drink, easy to appreciate and friendly to our sensibilities. Their grapes are mainly grown and cultivated in the warm coastal climates of Catalunya, Spain.Their medium-level wine, Celeste (pronounced se-les-teh) was inspired by the unique night skies of Ribera del Duero, a wine region characterised by a largely flat, rocky terrain, along the course of the Duero river.The area of around 850m above sea level is dedicated to the production of red wine from the Tempranillo grape. Celeste 2005 has an intense deep red with a memorable young rebellious nose. It is dense with undertones of ripe berries. The flavour holds a velvety texture of berries, young tannin and spice. To me, it has a short finish but memorable nevertheless.On the higher end of the Torres range in our market is Milmanda 2005 and Salmos 2006.Milmanda is made of Chardonnay grapes and has a gorgeous old gold colour.A quick whiff brings forth a buttery, oaky fragrance with hidden nutty notes.However, you do need to breathe in hard for it to introduce its nuttiness to you!At first sip, it is fruity, mellow acidity with a honey sprinkled finish. Well, at around RM200 a pop, you will not be expecting anything less.While their white is an understated elegance, their Salmos shouts of robustness and demands attention. Full bodied, this is a wine to be taken seriously. Its velvety dark red colour promises passion. Heaps of it. A deliberate whiff of this is deceivingly light hearted since berry bubblegum bounces around your senses. Slowly, an elegant and refined bouquet of ripe berries emerges. It is hard to ignore the first sip because a light sourness with a touch of bitter that signifies a ripe fruit will be unforgettable.Again, it is slow to introduce to your palate its long mineral finish coupled with its liqour flavours and spicy sexiness.These days, we seem to be more adventurous with food and wine pairing. Just be aware that the Milmanda’s delicate flavours are better with seafood cooked in light flavours.If you choose to have it with steamed fish, enjoy the fish’s freshness rather than adding heaps of ginger. Mellow white sauces with pastas are terrific too.While Salmos is best with small amounts of red meat and Celeste is an easy-going one that can inspire spicy food.Then again, these are merely recommendations. At the end of the day, let the wine and your tastebuds make the decisions, all right?Wine tips1. Avoid serving wines at Malaysian room temperature. It is too hot and you will only get the taste of the alcohol, without any of the wine’s magical bouquet.2. Remember that reds should be served at around 16ºC to 18ºC and they gain a degree in temperature after every 10 minutes.3. The higher alcohol content a wine has, the better it is to accompany a spicy dinner. Celeste, for instance, contains 14 per cent alcohol. Perfect for that black pepper roast beef, no?4. Although it is the most logical space to store wine, the kitchen is the worst place to do so as it is the hottest area in the house since you cook there.It is best to keep wine in the coolest, most dimly-lit area of your house. For some it might be a storeroom, pantry or basement garage.

Origin information: The New Straits Times of Malaysia