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SPANISH BRANDY Pt.3

CATALONIA

Catalonia is situated in north east Spain and shares a border with France. The
regional capital is Barcelona. This closeness with France has an influence on the
style of brandy produced. The main grape variety is Parallada which is more acidic
and tastier than the Airen grape used in Jerez. When the phylloxera bug devastated
the French vineyards Catalonia was in an ideal position to meet their wine and
brandy needs. Another factor is that the
stills used in Catalonia are similar to
those used in Cognac. Altogether the
result is a brandy similar to what the
French and the rest of the world are
used to. They still use the solera system
but the Brandies are definitely
Catalonian. This suits the locals as they
feel they are not Spanish anyway.

TORRES BRANDY

The Torres family are better known for
their wines and rightly so as they make
world class reds. The company was
founded in 1870 and they are still family
owned. They started making Brandy in 1920 but it was not until the 1980’s that they
started to produce and promote a wide range of Brandies. An indication of their
quality is the entry level
which consists of 5 and
10 year old Brandies
that have been aged in
American oak. The top
of the range is Jamie 1
which is named after
the company founder.
The bottle shape is
based on a Barcelona
building designed by
Antoni Gaudi. Some of
the Brandies in the
blend have been aged
for 30 years or more. In
between these grades
there are about six
Brandies including Hors
D’age and Solera
Selecta.

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