Salmos 2016 from Familia Torres has won the Priorat Trophy at the prestigious International Wine Challenge, the highest regional award given in one of the toughest and most influential competitions in the wine world. After first securing a gold medal with a score of 95 points, this red wine, made from Cariñena, Garnacha and Syrah grapes, was named the best in Priorat after a blind tasting. In their tasting notes, the judges described it as a wine with “bright, lively blackberry flavors, sweet, creamy fruit and a convivial, accessible style. A lively, cheerful wine with the class and structure for aging”.

Salmos 2016 largely comes from Torres’ own vines in El Lloar and Porrera planted in the unique llicorella soil of Priorat, giving the wine character and a mineral touch. 2016 was a hot, dry year with some difficulties, but the grapes were extremely healthy. Salmos is aged for 14 months in partially new French oak barrels and is produced by Familia Torres in DOQ Priorat. There, Familia Torres also makes Perpetual, a limited production wine made of grapes from old Cariñena and Garnacha vineyards in five different municipalities, and Mas de la Rosa, which comes from a single vineyard planted 80 years ago in the beautiful landscape that provides its name in the municipality of Porrera.

The International Wine Challenge, held for the 37th time this year, has awarded 53 gold medals to Spanish wines, 19 of which have also won trophies as the best in their class. Catalonia took five gold medals and one trophy, which went to Salmos from Familia Torres. Spain finished in third place in the medal table, behind France, with 102, and Australia, with 67. The IWC jury consists of 400 wine experts from 38 countries, including masters of wine, who blind taste the wines and give them points, taking into account their faithfulness to style, origin and vintage.