From grape to glass pages

Left: Wine being stored in oak barrels. Above: The company’s electric train and below, Mas La Plana, the Torres flagship estate

From grape to glass - toasting a sustainable future

From the food we cook to the wine we pour, we carefully consider our choices when it comes to suppliers and partners at Chestnut. Not only so we are able us to serve the best products, but also to ensure that we are making a conscious effort to move towards a more sustainable future. Torres has earned a place on our wine menu, not only because they produce delicious wines with a strong identity and history, but also because sustainability is at the heart of everything they do. It is well publicised that Torres have a deep love and respect for the environment and biodiversity, so I was thrilled to be invited to visit their winery in Barcelona, to meet the family and get a chance to visit the historic wine estate that I have heard so much about. The family motto is: ‘The more we care for the earth, the better our wines’ and they have high ambitions, including Tori Dexter visits a Barcelona wine estate to see how the family-run business embraces nature in their viticulture

Above, from left: Jonathan Hoad, Fells; Andy

Gaskin, Peter Graham Wines; Tori Dexter and Charley O’Toole, Chestnut, enjoying a tour of the Priorat wine region Solar panels on the estate. Familia Torres remains among the world’s 50 best wine tourism destinations according to the ‘World’s Best Vineyards 2022’

wanting to self-supply 50% of the energy at its Pacs del PenedËs winery by 2023, and to achieve net zero emissions before 2040.

When first arriving at their flagship vineyard, Mas La Plana in Barcelona I was first struck by the gorgeous vista and the architecture of the buildings – all very sympathetic to the surrounding landscape and housing a large number of solar panels helping to provide self-generated renewable energy, thanks to the Spanish sun.

Their biomass boiler also covers over 39% of energy needs and the organic residues produced during pruning and forest management helps fuel it - a really effective alternative to fossil fuels.

The vineyard itself felt very different to those I have been to in the past - the grass and wildlife seeks to imitate nature, so that the vineyards can become natural ecosystems. It’s a model based on the carbon cycle, which enables the land here to absorb more atmospheric C02 and at the same time regenerate the soils, curb erosion, and promote biodiversity.

With the inevitable effects of climate change the family have had to adapt their management techniques to slow down grape maturation. While walking around the vineyard we were able to see changes they have made to combat the rising temperatures – they have installed wider planting frames, lowered the canopy height and selected the most suitable rootstock and cultivation areas. It is clear that the family have thought in detail about how to affect all touch points at their winery, in turn reducing their impact on the environment. To avoid fossil fuel usage, there are two electric-solar trains, which we used on our wine tour - with the goal to convert all company vehicles to electric in the coming years. To support with water efficiency and recycling, there are over 45 rainwater collection ponds in the Torres vineyards. The biological wastewater treatment plant allows them to treat all the water used in the winery which, following purification, means it can be reused. To monitor their carbon footprint Torres annually calculate and verify their C02 emissions per bottle of wine produced, throughout the lifecycle of the product – from the vineyard to final consumer and post consumption. On my return from the winery and reflecting on my trip (whilst sat drinking a large glass of Mas la

You will find a Plana at The Packhorse), not only was the tour a real number of award education into the heritage and history behind the winning Torres wines it also opened my eyes to sustainability and the wines on our Chestnut wine real effects of climate change. It gave me a glimpse lists, including into what the future of winemaking will look like. Pazo das Bruxas The Torres legacy goes beyond sustainability, it is

Albarino, clear that the family really care for the planet and Purgatory and the aim to give back to nature and society to help legendary Mas la Plana support future generations. It’s a mantra that Chestnut are certainly on board with, and it is encouraging that others in the industry are following their lead too. Tori Dexter is Chestnut’s Head of Marketing