PHOTOS: A Catalonian wine country tour and a note on Bodega Torres.

I arrived in Barcelona on the day of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia.

The streets bustled with activity, as the locals were all out and about buying books (for men) and roses (for women) and generally celebrating the theme of romance.

It worked as a poetic introduction for a full-blown love affair with the northeastern corner of Spain: In the space of a week I visited 11 storied wineries in the region like Juvé & Camps, Segura Viudas and Parés Baltà, with no shortage of memorable cuisine (at spots including La Llavor dels origens and internationally ranked El Celler de Can Roca) and stylish hotels (Casa Torner, Grupotel Gran Via).

It also involved some of best places on the Iberian Peninsula for paella (like Can Solé, which has been around since 1903) and martinis (Dry Martini), and a bonus week of eat-and-drink adventure in the small cities of Costa Brava.

When one Catalan lunch can include more than 25 dishes, eight wines and four hours, two weeks in-country proves overwhelming to summarize, not that that stopped me from trying (see also "Field notes from a trip through Spain’s rising Catalan wine country").

But that wasn't enough to do it justice, hence the photos and additional notes that appear here.

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Catalonia’s—and Spain’s—largest wine house, by far, is headquartered in Penedès, an hour and change from Barcelona.

In the craft since 1870, Bodegas Torres has much to be proud of.

It sells wine in more than 150 countries.

It has been honored repeatedly as The World’s Most Admired Wine Brand by Drinks International.

It takes a pioneering approach that includes a passion for resurrecting forgotten grape varietals, a history of building orphanages, and R&D on grape-growing (and carbon sequestering) in an era of intensifying climate change.

Then there’s Torres’ genre-busting visitors center, which draws 2 million people a year.

A huge welcome hall presents videos and large-format photos of its extensive vineyards.

The adjoining tasting “room” hosts a long bar among soaring brick columns, beneath a glowing shelf displaying of three dozen Torres brands, including the memorable Grans Muralles, a Spanish take on a Bordeaux blend.

Beyond that awaits a huge topographical model of its expansive Penedès properties, foreshadowing spellbinding tours through custom facilities that belong in a design magazine.

Through another door appears a large museum that traces wines to ancient roots with terra cotta Roman amphoras and a grape press the size of an 18-wheeler.

But Torres’ proudest accomplishment could be its membership in a group called Primum Familiae Vini, the world’s oldest and best family-owned wineries, with the likes of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Marchesi Antinori and Egon Müller Scharzhof.

“It’s not easy,” says Torres President Miguel A. Torres. “Everything has to be done [by the family]. But there are lots of dividends, and it gets better.”

Torres marks a clear highlight in any tour of Catalan wine country. But there are dozens of other draws. Check out some of the photos above right for a look at many of them.