多利士酒莊 MIGUEL TORRES

Miguel Torres Chile 是第一個發掘智利釀酒潛力的外國酒廠，1979年買下靠近安地斯山脈的葡萄園後，便開始西班牙TORRES酒廠在智利的釀酒事業。這個帶領葡萄酒界革新風潮，擁有140年釀酒歷史的 TORRES酒廠，屢屢在國際葡萄酒壇中大放異彩；2005年獲選年度最佳創新酒廠、2006年成為年度最佳歐洲酒廠，2009年獲頒第一名環保酒廠 。 2010年Miguel A. Torres先生更榮獲IWC所頒發的『終生成就獎』，以表彰TORRES家族對葡萄酒、對智利酒業及致力於環保的貢獻。秉著與多利士西班牙酒廠一樣的精神，MIGUEL TORRES Chile 酒廠對於環境保護與對抗全球暖化的議題極為重視，目標是在不久的將來將所有葡萄園進行『有機認證』！此外，歷經30多年的深耕及努力，TORRES在智利的發展亦創造出許多的第一名---     《第一前進智利的外國酒廠》    《第一引進不銹鋼槽發酵技術》    《第一使用法國橡木桶陳年紅酒技術》未來目標朝向將所有酒款認證為『公平交易酒款』而邁進。

Miguel Torres comes across as a modest man, but one with a quiet authority. He knows his stuff, but wears the knowledge lightly. Back in 1982, when there were problems with the family succession (his father wouldn’t retire and let go of the company), Miguel took a sabbatical year out and went and studied at Montpellier, brushing up his winemaking and viticulture knowledge. When he returned to the company he brought this new knowledge back and applied it. Today Torres spend €3 million a year on their viticultural and winemaking research, tackling some of the hot topics in wine science. For example, they are working with precision viticulture (which aims at measuring natural variation across a vineyard with a view to using this information for differential management to improve quality), and are developing near infrared spectroscopy methods for non-destructive in-vineyard analysis of grape anthocyanins (which means that they can then pay growers according to quality much more accurately than, for example, measuring sugar and acid levels). Among the interventions Miguel made on his return from sabbatical was changing the density of planting in the Torres vineyards, and adapting the canopy management. What he learned about rootstocks helped him save his sister’s vineyards in California’s Russian River Valley, where at the time everyone was planting the phylloxera-susceptible AXR1 rootstock.
The Torres family now have a family succession protocol – this is essential if you want a large family business like this to work. 65 is the retirement age, and then the boss can stay on as president until 70. This means the children know they just have to wait five years, and avoids a Mondavi-like succession crisis.