Torres is finest identified for producing wines throughout Spanish areas together with Catalunya, Rioja and Ribera del Duero. It additionally has a global presence with Miguel Torres in Chile and Marimar in Sonoma, California, however for greater than a decade it has been producing wines in Galicia too. This facet of its portfolio began with the acquisition of a 6ha winery within the Salnés subregion, producing the upmarket wine Blanco Granito primarily based on Rías Baixas’ star selection, Albariño. The wine is produced from a singular course of, up to now in a small cellar close to the winery, utilizing granite eggs for vinification.
Moreover, Torres has the larger-production Rías Baixas label of Pazo das Bruxas (additionally Albariño), however, as firm director, Miguel Torres Maczassek instructed Decanter, ‘This small vineyard we’ve been utilizing wasn’t giant sufficient for the manufacturing of Pazo das Bruxas and our enologists had requested a bigger area for extra management in winemaking in addition to the potential to develop manufacturing down the road.’
The three,000m² vineyard of Valdamor is at the moment an lively cellar however Torres is planning for big renovations of the ability to be absolutely carried out by the beginning of the 2022 harvest. Winemaking will proceed to be headed by Víctor Cortizo, who has overseen the Galician challenge since 2017 and is a part of what Torres Maczassek stated had been ‘a consolidation of our challenge in Rías Baixas over the previous 10 years.’
This buy marks one thing of a change for Torres, which extra sometimes constructs new cellars to satisfy their wants with a powerful deal with being eco-friendly in addition to self-sufficient when it comes to power. It’s a spotlight that led to Torres founding the Worldwide Wineries for Local weather Motion in 2019 together with Jackson Household Wines in america. When requested the rationale behind the acquisition of Bodegas Valdamor, Torres Maczassek instructed Decanter, ‘It offered us with a extra fast method to satisfy our wants as soon as the renovations are accomplished.’
Along with the Valdamor vineyard buy and renovations, Torres will plant a 6ha winery within the subzone of Ribeira do Ulla and a further 8ha in Salnés Valley in 2023. It will present the corporate with a complete 20ha of Albariño.
Torres Maczassek confirmed to Decanter that, ‘We consider closely within the area and are very targeted in rising the Pazo das Bruxas wine. As soon as all the things is realised, we’ll have invested seven million Euros within the Galician challenge up to now.’
Torres’ confidence in Galicia and its Albariño wines is effectively positioned. For 2021, gross sales of Rías Baixas (the place Albariño contains 85% of the vineyards) to america elevated 20% in quantity and 33% when it comes to worth. The UK noticed the range and area’s profile rise as effectively with a 7% improve in quantity and 15% improve in worth.
All instructed, the Albariño wines from Rías Baixas are proving to be robust contenders in a global wine market that’s traditionally been dominated by white wines from the Loire Valley and New Zealand. On the identical time, it’s proving by way of the rise in worth figures that the idea of Spanish wine simply being a ‘good value’ is not the nation’s sole distinctive promoting level.
