Familia Torres is a heavyweight in Spanish wine with a foot on Chile and California. It boasts more than 1,100 hectares of organic vines spread across Penedès, Priorat, Costers del Segre, Conca de Barberà, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rías Baixas and Rueda. They own wine facilities in all of these regions except in Conca de Barberà. Vardon Kennett, its first sparkling wine launched at the end of 2016, doesn’t belong to any appellation.

Despite its size, it remains a family-owned company with a strong brand presence internationally. With their wines available in 100 countries, Familia Torres has been named the world’s most admired brand for seven years by beverage magazine Drinks International. Selling wine overseas was one of the goals pursued by Jaime Torres Vendrell when he founded the company together with his brother Miguel in 1870. At the time Jaime, who had just returned from Cuba, wanted to send wine to America. The second generation, with Juan Torres Casals at the helm, set up the distillation of brandies whereas Miguel Torres Carbó (third generation) actively promoted the bottling of wines and opened new export markets.

Building brands

An innovative and pioneering company, Torres registered the brand Coronas in 1907. Its well-known brandy Torres 10 was released in 1946 while the distinctive Mediterranean red Sangre de Toro was launched in 1945.

Miguel A. Torres, fourth generation, planted international grape varieties in Penedès which eventually became the company’s premium range: Milmanda (Chardonnay, €61, DO Conca deBarberà), Fransola (Sauvignon Blanc, €28, DO Penedès), Waltraud (Riesling, €22, DO Penedès) and specially Cabernet Sauvignon Mas La Plana (€84, DO Penedès). Formerly known as Gran Coronas Etiqueta Negra, this Torres Cab won the World Wine Olympics organised by wine magazine Gault-Millau in Paris in 1979 outperforming many legendary Bordeaux grand crus.

In the late 1990s the company released a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot called Torres Reserva Real (€225, DO Penedès) after the visit of King Juan Carlos I on the occasion of the company’s 125th anniversary.

Over the last few years, considerable research has been done to identify and recover obscure indigenous varieties in Catalonia, some of which (Garró and Querol) are part of the blend of Grans Muralles (around €155, DO Conca de Barberà).

The most interesting development in Penedès is the Clos Ancestral range, made in white and red (about €16). Both wines combine local varieties with the ancestral grapes recovered by the family: Forcada for the white and Moneu for the red. Both are a long-cycle varieties with good acidity and moderate alcohol.

Other major developments include Purgatori, an ambitious project in Costers del Segre, and the new single-vineyard red Mas de la Rosa that sits now at the top of the range in Priorat over Salmos and Perpetual.

Single vineyard wines are fermented separately and aged in ad-hoc facilities in the company's winemaking plant in Pacs del Penedès. This bodega, which was named after Miguel A. Torres’s wife Waltraud, has independent fermentation and ageing facilities for Mas La Plana Cabernet.

Popular, market-oriented brands are sold as DO Catalunya (the white Viña Sol and the reds Sangre de Toro, Gran Sangre de Toro and Coronas) or DO Penedès as is the case of the whites Viña Esmeralda, Gran Viña Sol and the Atrium range.

Sustainability

Miguel A. Torres is one of the few Spanish producers to have been named Decanter Man of the Year –in 2004 and the only wine producer to feature on Time magazine's 100 Climate Leaders in Business list, first published in 2023.

Particularly concerned with climate change, he has been the driving force behind environmentally friendly policies including a commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, improve biodiversity, promote sustainable building, renewable energy and waste management and reduce energy consumption. He has also fostered WfCP (Wineries for Climate Protection), the first specific wine certification in terms of environmental sustainability, which is awarded by the Spanish Wine Federation.

In its commitment to climate change, Familia Torres is immersed in the transition towards regenerative viticulture and co-founded the Regenerative Viticulture Association in 2021. Additionally, Familia Torres joined forces with Jackson Family Wines, a family-owned company in the US, to set up the International Wineries for Climate Action group. The aim of this association is to bring together the most environmentally committed wine producers in a collective effort to decarbonise the global wine industry.

The fifth generation includes Miguel and Mireia Torres Maczasseck.  Mireia is in charge of the R&D department and Jean Leon. One of her major achievements was the launch of the alcohol-free Natureo range in 2008, now the leading Spanish brand in its category. The range includes both still and sparkling white and red wines made from grape varieties such as Moscatel, Chardonnay, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Torres welcomes close to 50,000 visitors per year who can enjoy a wide range of wine activities, tastings and food experiences.