Bodegas Torres - History

History

Jaime Torres emigrated to Cuba 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 600,000-litre (130,000 imp gal; 160,000 US gal) 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.