Miguel A. Torres is handing over the reins – but his sustainability mission continues

Miguel A. Torres, President of Familia Torres
Krister Bengtsson
Published 15-January-2025
Partner content

Twenty years past the retirement age for most of us, Miguel A. Torres shows no signs of slowing down as we catch up with him in between a meeting with the Swedish monopoly and a wine dinner in Stockholm. But change is coming, not only for the climate, but also for Mr Torres.

Partner story with Familia Torres.

This year, 2024, has been another busy one for the famous winemaking family from Penedès. If you follow the news section on the Torres website, the headlines are stacked like cards in a deck:

– Familia Torres expects to increase its sales by 7% in 2024
– Familia Torres joins in the SOLARWINE project to promote sustainable vine-growing
– Familia Torres receives the 2024 Golden Vines Innovation Award
– Familia Torres increases reuse of regenerated water to adapt to climate change.
– Familia Torres, named the World's Most Admired Wine Brand 2024

And on it goes.

The headlines reflect the number one mission of Miguel A. Torres besides growing and selling great wines: acting on climate change.

“It all started in 2008 after watching the movie by Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth,” says Mr Torres. “We decided to establish a program, Torres & Earth, to adapt to a new situation.”

There has since been no mistaking the urgency of Mr Torres, who has launched initiatives and promoted the understanding of climate change to the rest of the wine world – and anyone who will listen. It is something he considers a life and death question, not only for humanity but more directly for viticulture in Spain.

“I realised it was going to affect us directly – we live from the earth; if the climate changes, what are we going to do?”

Familia Torres' Purgatori estate, Les Garrigues.

Strategies to adapt to, and mitigate, climate change

“For us, first we have to adapt to the new situation. For example, we plant closer to the Pyrenees in cooler climates and search for ancient grape varieties that might be more resilient to heat and drought. Second was to mitigate our own emissions – 50 per cent of the energy in our main winery in Penedès is now provided by solar panels and biomass, we use electric cars and all these things. And third: five years ago we created the group International Wineries for Climate Action with Jackson [Family Wines] in California. We started it the two of us, and today we are 150 wineries around the world. I think it's the most beautiful thing we have done.”

Do you feel that the rest of the wine world is acting quickly enough?

“In the group we founded, yes. And there are other initiatives in America for example. I think the wine world today is concerned about it, yes.”

But are people doing enough?

“No! No, no. In general we are not doing enough.”

What actions would you like to see?

“I would like us to stop using gasoline. The world uses every day 100 million barrels of oil. That does not make sense.”

I remember five years ago you spoke at the MUST wine conference in Cascais, Portugal. You said that people have to vote for politicians who understand climate change.

“I don't say this anymore. I give up. There is no way they can talk about it. You know, they work in a four-year period. For them everything is short-term... There are a few exceptions of course.”

Familia Torres' Mas La Plana vineyard, Penedès.

Net zero emissions by 2040

Familia Torres keeps investing in reducing emissions with the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040, including 14 science-based and measurable initiatives such as installing solar panels and the direct capturing of CO2 from the winemaking process.

“So far, in 2023 we reached 37% (considering scopes one, two and three). At the end of this decade we will be at 60%. It is moving ahead.”

Regenerative viticulture – and forests

“Regenerative viticulture is an important part of the program. One example is we have had grass as cover crops for many years. With regenerative viticulture, we don't work the soil anymore, we just cut the grass. Depending on the soil, that can represent between half a tonne and one tonne of carbon per hectare that stays in the soil for several years.

“We also pay a lot of attention to forests. We have in Catalonia 2000 hectares of forest, compared to 1000 hectares of vines. The trees are important because they help to reduce the carbon footprint. Every tree we plant takes five kilograms of carbon from the atmosphere. It is very positive.”

Photo courtesy of Familia Torres.

Sommeliers and restaurants

Star Wine List is very much about wine in restaurants. When it comes to sustainability, what role can sommeliers and restaurants play?

“That is an interesting question. My first reaction is that they should know the consequences, they should know what is affecting the vineyards, and they should know which wineries are trying to mitigate the consequences. I think they should know that. It's not enough to speak about the quality of wines and the origins and so forth, I think it's also important that they say a word about sustainability.”

And when you go to a restaurant yourself, what is important for you in terms of wine lists and hospitality?

“Well of course they have to have our wines, otherwise we are in trouble, haha!

“But no, having said that, I like to see the wine list, I like to see that the sommelier can recommend the best wines according to the menus they propose, and also I like to see that the sommelier can differentiate depending on the people. It's not the same if you are having dinner with your wife, if you are with customers, or if I am with my grandchildren. The sommelier has to adapt.”

The family behind Familia Torres.

Looking to the future

At the start of 2025 Miguel A. Torres is handing over the reins to his children, Miguel and Mireia Torres Maczassek, the fifth generation of the winemaking family. “I will still be attending the board meetings as a board member," says Miguel senior, “but this is probably my last trip to Sweden for the business!”

What are you looking forward to in your new role?

“Of course I will still keep an eye on the business. I will still attend the tasting we organise every Tuesday morning – I like to taste the wines we produce. But then I have many things I like to do: I like to play the guitar – I'm not very good but I try. And then I like to write. I like to study languages – I speak several languages. The [latest] ones (I don't speak fluently but I can manage a little bit) are Japanese and Russian; now I'm working on Chinese. I will be busy.”

Read more about the Familia Torres commitment to sustainability.

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