When one is invited to visit Purgatory, the general reaction would be ?no thanks?. However, this was an opportunity to visit the new winery ?Purgatori? in Costers del Segre, Spain.
The winery is located in the historical ‘Mas de L’Aranyó’ that dates back to 1770 when the monks of the Abbey of Montserrat settled in the property as penance. If they were caught misbehaving they were sent to the remote estate to work under extreme heat and harsh working conditions as punishment, it was an inhospitable place, far away from the monastery. Their job was to work the land and provide the abbey with grain, oil, meat, etc. They quickly realized that the area was perfect for grape-growing and began to make wine, which they also delivered to the diocese The Familia Torres has kept the name and re-invented the estate as their most recent winery addition, and it is the first time that the winery has produced its namesake wine ?Purgatori? overseen by fifth generation winemaker, Miguel Torres Maczassek.
FAMILIA TORRES Sala de Barricas
They purchased the farmhouse and its 870 hectares in 1999 and reintroduced winegrowing on the estate. It currently has 200 hectares of organically certified vineyards and 100 hectares of olive groves. The continental climate, the striking shifts in daytime and nighttime temperature and the distribution of the vineyard on three different levels make the Les Garrigues estate one of Familia Torres’s finest in terms of quality. In add...