ALBERT ESCOFET

06 June 2019

Albert runs things here. He is the man behind the grapes, the one who tends to Familia Torres's lands and vineyards in Penedès, where the family's commitment to producing prestigious wines is ongoing.



Albert Escofet is originally from Torrelles de Foix (Alt Penedès), and he manages the Mas la Plana Estate.



Albert was destined to work the vineyards. His love for wine is part of his heritage. Albert's memories are the memories of land and wine. For him, they have represented an inseparable pair ever since he was a child running and playing amid his family's vineyards, soaking up the aromas, and the energy of working the land.

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“I remember picking Parellada and Macabeo. Bringing the grapes to the stomping vat in the old winery at our house, and the aromas wafting out during the pressing. Having breakfast or a mid-morning snack in the vineyard, with a clay pitcher and a wineskin.”

As he was growing up, Albert never doubted that he would continue a family legacy built on the knowledge and experience of growing and making wine. In a way, his viticultural studies were simply the official stamp on something he had already lived. “It was always a part of me. I was born on a farm with a winery and grew up amid vineyards, olive and almond groves... I participated in the harvest from a young age.”


Albert looks after vineyards that produce balanced, high-intensity reds with round tannins.


“The work of a vineyard manager is constant, it never ends. It is teamwork, and we see our efforts rewarded in the resulting harvest and wines. We have to study the vineyard, year after year, to see what it needs to produce the quality we're aiming for. This means adjusting the organic fertilizers to the precise needs of each parcel, pruning carefully, meticulously monitoring sanitary conditions to bring in a healthy, organically grown harvest, and, of course, keeping a close eye on maturation to harvest each vineyard at exactly the right time.”


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Mas La Plana in a summer sunset (Familia Torres)

Parallel lives: both Albert and Familia Torres are Penedès natives, and they convey to the world the intrinsic values of a humanist philosophy that is rooted in the land. Because Albert knows that there is more to our wines than the work we do every day—they embody certain intangible values, like respect for the Earth, protecting the landscape, and sustainability... “And now, after years of research, Familia Torres has recovered ancestral, pre-phylloxera varieties and reintroduced them to the vineyards of Penedès. In doing so, we have recovered part of the region's vinicultural history, while seeking solutions to climate change, which also affects the vineyard.”

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“It is a bold commitment to recovering the region's wine heritage and combating climate change, while sharing prestigious wines with the world that provide opportunities for planting ancestral varieties.”



As vineyard manager, the harvest is the moment of truth. The pressure is measured, but electric. Albert always suffers a certain amount of anxiety about all of the work that has gone into this moment. He believes in the work, but he’s always vigilant of the weather. “The harvest is the culmination of an entire year's work, which is why we're anxious about getting the grapes in safe and sound.” After all, Albert knows all too well that no two harvests are the same, how the weather conditions determine the team’s daily decisions.


Albert is someone whose lifestyle and tastes are simple but selective. As a wine lover, this is what he looks for in a wine: “My tastes are varied, but in the end, I go for full-bodied wines with good concentration and balanced tannins, paired with exactly the right food, and enjoyed in good company over good conversation.”


We are very lucky that we can count on people like Albert. Someone who is clear and straightforward, honorable, and committed to the land. And for whom this place is home, just like it is for us.