Built on 150 years of history and tradition, Familia Torres continues to be one of the most renowned wine producers in Spain. Torres family roots date back even further, residing in the Penedès region for over 300 years. Today, Familia Torres produce quality wine from 9 DOs across Spain showcasing the most esteemed terroirs that embody tradition and innovation. Miguel Torres Maczassek, the fifth generation of the family, is at the helm and upholds the family values of respect, cooperation, excellence, vitality and curiosity.
In Catalonia, the winery produces the Familia Torres collection, showcasing their premiere wines in the region they’ve inhabited for centuries. Extending further, Familia Torres produce the Properties collection, which showcases some of Spain’s most well-known wine regions. With reliable quality and a true sense of history, Torres is a pillar of the wine community, and uses their reputation to advocate for environmental initiative, social responsibility, and fair trade as a way of ensuring the continuity of wine production. With Torres, wine is an essential part of community, environment, and tradition, and is, above all, a celebration of life.
In 2020, Familia Torres Winery is celebrating their 150th anniversary, but the family’s roots extend even farther than that. The first mention of the Torres wine family was in 1557, but the winery wasn’t established until 1870, when the profits from the family shipping company made it possible to enter the commercial wine space.
Miguel Torres Vendrell founded the company, and since then, the family has passed on the winery (and the name Miguel) steadfastly from generation to generation. They hit a setback when the winery was bombed during the Spanish civil war, but Miguel Torres i Carbó rebuilt, and began the bottling and exporting of the wine.
In 1991, Miguel A. Torres took the reigns, and remains president today. He made remarkable strides in environmental advocacy, social responsibility, fair trade, and research and innovation. Since 2012, Miguel Torres Maczassek has been at the helm, and has continued his father’s work, while also embarking on his own projects. Recognized year after year and Drinks Internationals’ “World’s Most Admired Wine Brand,” the story of Familia Torres is a known and respected one throughout Spain and the world.
Having been in the region for five generations, the Torres family has seen first hand the effects of climate change on the land, and are committed to protecting it for future generations. In 2008, they established the Torres & Earth Project – a commitment to reduce CO2 emissions across their business by 30% by 2020 – a goal which they accomplished! Their programs include reforestation, forest management, and biological waste water treatment and purification, along with rainwater storage, carbon capture and reuse, biomass boiling, solar panels, electric vehicles, and geothermal heating and cooling. They also have an ongoing search for plots of land that have the potential to withstand changes in climate. With the remarkable success of the project, Familia Torres decided to escalate their goals, and are now aiming to cut emissions by 80% by 2050!
Their dedication to preserving the environment extends beyond their own projects, and in 2019 they co-founded the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) with California-based Jackson Family wines. The steadily growing organization promotes an industry-wide decrease in carbon emissions, and is open to wineries across the world. Membership indicates a commitment to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, and aim to be climate positive (removing greenhouse gas from the air) by 2050.
In addition to their commitment to sustainability, they also convey their respect for the land by searching out and cultivating ancestral and indigenous varietals. In keeping with their values of tradition and innovation, they use these ancient grapes to create new and exciting, very limited production wines.
Torres Milmanda Conca de Barbera Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Milmanda is a crisp, refreshing white wine with a lively aromatic expression and a medium body. Notes of oak and orchard fruit dominate the palate supported by layers of ripe pineapple, bright citrus, and a smoky finish.
Dried chamomile, pomelo rind, dried apple, crushed stone, blanched almond and waxed lemon on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and a creamy, lightly waxy texture. Excellent concentration and length with delicious almond and stone notes. Drink now or hold.
Review:
This deep-yellow-colored wine has a bouquet of bergamot and river rocks. It offers clean flavors of lemon, pineapple and oyster shell. This vintage saw a significant decrease in the percentage that went through malolactic fermentation as well as in amount of time in oak, which allow the stony terroir and minerality to shine through. Drink now–2038
-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points
Every now and then, in life and in wine, we are presented with unique opportunities to express ourselves and create something truly remarkable.
When rare opportunities arise, we need to capture, nurture and develop them so that their potential is fulfilled. So when Torbreck was given the opportunity to work with one of the most famous vineyards in the Barossa Valley, it became almost inevitable that the resulting wine would be truly remarkable.
In 2003, Torbreck growers and fourth generation descendants of the Seppelt family, Malcolm and Joylene Seppelt, asked our winemakers to create for them a small batch of Shiraz from their old Gnadenfrei vineyard in the sub-region of Marananga.
Planted in 1958, the five acre vineyard is traditionally dry grown and comes from an original Barossa clonal source. South facing, on the eastern side of a ridge separating the Seppeltsfield and Marananga appellations, these aged vines have been meticulously hand tended, traditionally farmed and pruned by a grower with a lifetime’s experience on Western Barossa soils of very dark, heavy clay loam over red friable clay. The resulting low yields of small, concentrated Shiraz berries make the vineyard the envy of all winemakers in the Barossa.
We looked longingly at the wine when it was returned to the Seppelts, knowing that it was the best we had ever made. In 2005 we convinced the Seppelts to sell Torbreck the fruit and The Laird was born. In 2013 Torbreck purchased the Gnadenfrei vineyard, securing The Laird’s reputation as one of the world’s great single vineyard Shiraz wines.
Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland and you’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions. The Laird of the Estate in Scotland is the Lord of the Manor and master of all he surveys.
Review:
I poured the 2017 The Laird, set it aside and got about doing other jobs for 45 minutes or so, to give it some room to breathe. And it does breathe. It has its own pulse and beat and life, and it flexes and moves in the mouth. This is incredibly enveloping, with aromas reminiscent of campfire coals, charred eucalyptus, lamb fat, roasted beetroot, black tea and a prowling sort of countenance. In the mouth, the wine is bonded and cohesive and seamless, there are no gaps between anything, no space between fruit, oak and tannin; it all comes as one. While this is a singular wine, it is so big and concentrated that it needs no accompaniment other than some fresh air and a good mate. It's denser than osmium and is impenetrable at this stage.
Dense purple hues, with evocative aromas of black cherries, ripe plums, nectarines, boysenberry, wild bramble and exotic oak spice. The juicy and sweet-fruited palate entry, combined with crunchy tannins, lures one into a sense of overtness, yet the wine is sublimely elegant and poised. The complex layers of fruit is in perfect harmony with the oak, all bound together by a lively seam of acidity. The finish is pleasantly dry and savory, with lingering notes of Christmas cake and vanilla pod.
Pair with barbequed meats, especially venison and beef / bobotie / lamb curry / seared tuna / spicy Asian-styled cuisine / aromatic curries / duck with sweet plum sauce / beef or lamb burgers / pizza