Bodegas Torres
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1870 by Jaime Torres, Bodegas Torres (Miguel Torres SA) is a historical wine growing company located in Pacs, some 4 km from Vilafranca del Penedès
, where the company has its head office. Torres is the family winery with the most extensive vineyards in the Denomination of Origin (DO) of Penedès
and the largest winery in Spain.
They also run the Miguel Torres Chile
winery in the Chilean Central Valley, and in the United States (California
) where in 1986 Marimar Torres founded Marimar Estate
. In Spain
outside of the Torres family's native Penedès region, they own vineyards in DO Conca de Barberà
, DO Toro
, DO Jumilla
, DO Ribera del Duero
, DOQ Priorat
and most recently in DOC Rioja
- in the last three areas with new wineries or wineries under construction. Likewise, Torres is also Spain's largest producer of DO wines under its own label, exporting to more than 140 countries.
Under the Torres brand name they trade wine and brandy
under on a range of different labels. Some of these are Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro, De Casta, Coronas, Atrium and Viña Esmeralda, with their best known brandies being Torres 5 and Torres 10. Many Torres wines are produced from international rather than traditional Spanish grape varieties and are varietal
ly labelled. The company exports wines to over 140 countries. Torres made two significant contributions to the development of enology in Spain: firstly, the use of fermentation at controlled temperatures, and secondly, the maturing of the wine in small oak barrels during a scrupulously defined time, as has been a habitual practice in Bordeaux
.
Torres is managed by the fourth generation of the Torres family; Miguel A. Torres
is the company’s current President and Managing Director. The Torres family are founding members of the Primum Familiae Vini
.
in 1855. On the island he made his fortune through the flourishing oil industry and seaborne trade. In 1870 he returned home a rich man and went into business with his brother, a wine grower. Together they founded the family company, in Vilafranca del Penedès
, in 1870. One of Jaime Torres’ ideas was to build a 600000 litres (1,268,027.1 US pt) wine vat, the largest in the world.
During the Spanish Civil War
the winery was bombarded, leaving everything in ruins, including the enormous vat. Miguel Torres Carbó, a fourth generation member of the family, rebuilt the winery in 1940 and started business up again. He brought an end to the sale of bulk wine and started to market it in labelled bottles. In the year of reconstruction, when France was under Hitler's control
and unable to provide wine, Miguel Torres traveled to the United States to promote his wines. It was in this period that the brands Sangre de Toro, Viña Sol and Coronas first came into being.
In 1966 work started on the planting of imported grape varieties: at first Chardonnay
and Cabernet Sauvignon
and later on Merlot
, Pinot noir
, Riesling
and Gewürztraminer
. That same year, Miguel A. Torres
married Waltraud Maczassek, a German artist, who has also collaborated in the sale of Torres wines on the German market. When Torres produced their first Riesling
they named it in honour of Waltraud.
In 1975, Bodegas Torres began growing organic grapes for wine.
In 1991, after the death of Miguel Torres, the winery passed into the hands of his son Miguel A. Torres
, the company’s current President and Managing Director.
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
, where the company has its head office. Torres is the family winery with the most extensive vineyards in the Denomination of Origin (DO) of Penedès
Penedès
Penedès is a natural and historical region of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the south of the Principality of Catalonia between the pre-coastal mountain range and the Mediterranean sea...
and the largest winery in Spain.
They also run the Miguel Torres Chile
Miguel Torres Chile
Miguel Torres Chile is a Chilean winery that was founded in Curicó, in 1979, by the Spanish family company Miguel Torres. In its , the Viña Santa Digna vineyard cultivates the varieties Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay and Cabernet sauvignon...
winery in the Chilean Central Valley, and in the United States (California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) where in 1986 Marimar Torres founded Marimar Estate
Marimar Estate
Marimar Estate is a Californian winery located in Sonoma County, owned by Marimar Torres, the sister of Miguel A. Torres, President of Bodegas Torres.-History:...
. In Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
outside of the Torres family's native Penedès region, they own vineyards in DO Conca de Barberà
Conca de Barberà
Conca de Barberà is a comarca in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.-Municipalities:*Barberà de la Conca - pop. 434*Blancafort - pop. 412*Conesa - pop. 123*Espluga de Francolí - pop. 3,687*Forès - pop. 60*Llorac - pop. 128...
, DO Toro
Toro (DO)
Toro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines in the province of Zamora, which is in the northwest of Castile and Léon . The area covered by the DO is in the southeastern corner of Zamora province and includes the lands known as Tierra del Vino, Valle del Guareña and Tierra de Toro. It...
, DO Jumilla
Jumilla (DO)
Jumilla is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines that extends over the north of the region of Murcia, including the municipality of Jumilla —from which it takes its name— and the contiguous southeast of the Albacete province in the Castile-La Mancha region.There are currently 32,000...
, DO Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a Spanish Denominación de Origen located in the country's northern plateau and is one of eleven 'quality wine' regions within the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, DOQ Priorat
Priorat (DOQ)
Priorat is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Calificada for wines produced in the Priorat county to the south-west of Catalonia...
and most recently in DOC Rioja
Rioja (wine)
Rioja is a wine, with Denominación de Origen Calificada named after La Rioja, in Spain. Rioja is made from grapes grown not only in the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, but also in parts of Navarre and the Basque province of Álava. Rioja is further subdivided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja...
- in the last three areas with new wineries or wineries under construction. Likewise, Torres is also Spain's largest producer of DO wines under its own label, exporting to more than 140 countries.
Under the Torres brand name they trade wine and brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
under on a range of different labels. Some of these are Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro, De Casta, Coronas, Atrium and Viña Esmeralda, with their best known brandies being Torres 5 and Torres 10. Many Torres wines are produced from international rather than traditional Spanish grape varieties and are varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
ly labelled. The company exports wines to over 140 countries. Torres made two significant contributions to the development of enology in Spain: firstly, the use of fermentation at controlled temperatures, and secondly, the maturing of the wine in small oak barrels during a scrupulously defined time, as has been a habitual practice in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
.
Torres is managed by the fourth generation of the Torres family; Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres , the current President and Managing Director of Bodegas Torres, is a member of the fourth generation of this family business...
is the company’s current President and Managing Director. The Torres family are founding members of the Primum Familiae Vini
Primum Familiae Vini
Primum Familiae Vini an association of family-owned wineries with a membership limited to twelve families/wineries. The association was established 1993 by Miguel Torres and Robert Drouhin , after they had first come up with the idea in 1990...
.
History
Jaime Torres emigrated to CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1855. On the island he made his fortune through the flourishing oil industry and seaborne trade. In 1870 he returned home a rich man and went into business with his brother, a wine grower. Together they founded the family company, in Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
, in 1870. One of Jaime Torres’ ideas was to build a 600000 litres (1,268,027.1 US pt) wine vat, the largest in the world.
During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
the winery was bombarded, leaving everything in ruins, including the enormous vat. Miguel Torres Carbó, a fourth generation member of the family, rebuilt the winery in 1940 and started business up again. He brought an end to the sale of bulk wine and started to market it in labelled bottles. In the year of reconstruction, when France was under Hitler's control
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
and unable to provide wine, Miguel Torres traveled to the United States to promote his wines. It was in this period that the brands Sangre de Toro, Viña Sol and Coronas first came into being.
In 1966 work started on the planting of imported grape varieties: at first Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
and Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and later on Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
and Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
. That same year, Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres , the current President and Managing Director of Bodegas Torres, is a member of the fourth generation of this family business...
married Waltraud Maczassek, a German artist, who has also collaborated in the sale of Torres wines on the German market. When Torres produced their first Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
they named it in honour of Waltraud.
In 1975, Bodegas Torres began growing organic grapes for wine.
In 1991, after the death of Miguel Torres, the winery passed into the hands of his son Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres
Miguel A. Torres , the current President and Managing Director of Bodegas Torres, is a member of the fourth generation of this family business...
, the company’s current President and Managing Director.
Estates
- The Mas La Plana vineyard, in Pacs del PenedèsPenedèsPenedès is a natural and historical region of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the south of the Principality of Catalonia between the pre-coastal mountain range and the Mediterranean sea...
, within the borders of DO Penedès, which in the Middle Ages formed part of the fiefdom of the Count of BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, with an average age of about 30 years. It is one of the first vineyards cultivated in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
based on this variety of grape. The wine which bears the name of the estate, is produced from grapes grown here. Today, La Plana is recognised as one of the most prestigious red wines in the world, as claimed among others by Julian Jeffs in his book, “The Wines of Spain”.
- Located on the Cister Route, the medieval castle of Milmanda provides the name for another estate, from which a white wine of the same name comes. Milmanda is made using traditional methods, and fermented in barrels of new French oak. The Milmanda estate is located in the municipality of VimbodíVimbodíVimbodí is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
, in DO Conca de Barberà, and consists of 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) of vineyard.
- At the Fransola estate the Sauvignon blancSauvignon blancSauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
vines share the space with plots planted with ParelladaParelladaParellada is a white grape variety of Catalan origin specially grown in Catalonia. With Macabeu and Xarel·lo, is one of the three traditional varieties used to make the sparkling wine Cava, which is primarily produced in Catalonia...
. The blend of these two varieties, although with a predominance of Sauvignon, is used to produce Fransola, through an elaboration that requires considerable care, given that part of the must is fermented in wooden barrels and the other part in stainless steel, before they are finally brought together.
- Located alongside the historical Cistercian monastery of Poblet, the wine Grans Muralles takes its name from the vineyard that used to surround the walls of the monastery. Historic varieties, now almost extinct, such as Garró or Samsó share the land with rows of Garnacha Tinta, Monastrell and Mazuelo.
- Owned by the Torres family since 1983, Mas Borras includes a vineyard of Pinot noirPinot NoirPinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
.
- Very small, covering only 10 acres (40,468.6 m²), production of the estate where Torres Reserva Real has its origins is extremely limited, producing barely more than 6,000 bottles a year. Furthermore it is only made if the harvest has been particularly promising.
Awards
- European Winery of the Year, by the American magazine Wine Enthusiast (2006)
- Wine Personality of the Year for Innovation, by the English magazine Wine International (2005)
- Principe Felipe Prize for Business Excellence (2004)
- Miguel A. Torres named Man of the year, by the British magazine Decanter(2002).
- Bodega Miguel Torres named Winery of the Year, in Guía de Vinos Gourmet (Gourmet Wines Guide) (2000).
- Wine Spectator Prize for the Most Important Winery of the Year (2000).
Further reading
- The Wines of Spain (Vinos de España), Julian Jeffs, Spanish edition by Editorial Tusquets. ISBN 84-8310-695-1
- Paisajes y Bodegas de España (Landscapes and Wineries of Spain) PI& ERRE ediciones. Madrid. 2004. ISBN 84-95203-20-0
- Leading Brands of Spain. ISBN 84-607-7104-0
- L' Esperit del vi. El gran llibre dels vins de Catalunya (The Spirit of Wine, the Big Book of Catalan Wines). Àngels Casas and Francesc Navarro. Grup editorial 62. ISBN 84-9787-063-8
- Los Grandes Vinos y Bodegas (Great Wines and Wineries). Planeta Agostini, S.A. 2003. ISBN 84-674-0063-3
- Larousse Encyclopaedia of Wines. Editorial Larousse, 2001. ISBN 84-8016-327-5
- ABC. El gran libro de los vinos de España (Big Book of Spanish Wines). 2000.
- Wine Atlas. Oz Clarke. Editorial Leopold Blume. 1996. ISBN 84-8076-22-7
- Diccionario salvat del vino (Salvat Dictionary of Wine). Mauricio Wiesenthal.Salvat editores. 2001. ISBN 84-345-0932-6