Miguel Torres Chile
Founded in 1979, Miguel Torres is proud to be one of the first foreign wine companies to buy land in Chile and the first to build a winery.
In 1979 the Torres family purchased 100 hectares of vineyard in Maquehua, San Francisco Norte and Cordillera, together with a winery in the Curicó Valley. Miguel Torres brought with him his family’s long tradition of wine-making and over 140 years of company history. The Chilean Central Valley has an ideal climate for top quality viticulture. This Phylloxera-free region is dominated by the presence of the Andes, their peaks crowned with permanent snow. The difference in temperatures between day and night provides the optimum conditions for development of the grapes and increases their ability to retain their finest aromas.“Through 140 years of winemaking we have learned that the people and the climate are the key to success in the production of quality wines”
Torres is proud to have been one of the first foreign companies to invest in and commit itself to this viticultural paradise. They were one of the first winemakers in Chile to use stainless steel and temperature controlled fermentation for their wines. Their landholding has gradually increased, and currently covers around 400 hectares which has been certified organic and Fair Trade in the Chilean Central Valley. Due to a long-term collaboration with local vine growers, Miguel Torres is currently the largest Fair Trade winery in Chile.
Torres’ concern for the environment has led to a continual process of research and development both in the vineyard and the winery, with modern organic methods being used in their Chilean vineyards. This has led to a vast amount of work being done with the Pais grape; once the most planted and important grape in Chile, with one of the longest viticultural histories. In conjunction with the University of Talca and the Chilean government, Torres Chile have been working with vineyard owners and growers to improve fruit quality, garner fair market prices for their produce and develop poorer communities that grow the grapes. What they have producedis a much-lauded rose sparkling wine called ‘Estelado’, which has been given International Fair Trade Certification.
Torres continues to expand and has purchased a ‘fundo’ in the Community of Empedrado, 180km south of Curicó. The vineyard soils are slate based which in time will produce outstanding new wines to add to the current range, with particular emphasis on Pinot Noir. Innovation and new product development have kept Torres at the forefront of modernisation, reaffirming their position as one of the leading producers of sustainable wines.
Miguel Torres Maczassek, Managing Director of the Torres Group says, “Through 140 years of winemaking we have learned that the people and the climate are the key to success in the production of quality wines.”