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WWW.VWMMEDIA.COM Marimar Torres with her dogs,

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 Bonita and Chico, on the patio of her home, overlooking her Russian River Valley and .

Marimar Torres

-Saving + Water Technologies Doing things her own way with gracious + Financing hospitality and estate grown . + Craft Beverages NEW Report BY M.V. WOOD PHOTOS BY BRENNEN POWERS

50 & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Sept - Oct 2016 www.vwmmedia.com arimar Torres, owner of Mari- Not long afterward, with the help connections to the best restaurants mar Estate Vineyards & Win- of her mother and brothers, Torres in , so I was able to use those ery in Sonoma County, was built her eponymous winery and connections to travel all over Spain born into European wine roy- planted another vineyard on the and get many wonderful recipes. It alty. Part of the fourth genera- Sonoma Coast. She’s been mak- was all very exciting, but very time- tion of the famous Bodegas Torres ing exceptional wines ever since. consuming — it took two years full wine company of Spain, Torres On a recent visit to the winery, Tor- time. It was my first big project that became fascinated with the fam- res and I sat down for lunch and an was all my own. I had complete ily business at an early age. She interview: control but also complete respon- went to the University of Barce- Vineyard & Winery Manage- sibility. I learned so much about lona to earn her business degree, ment [V&WM] This is a wonderful cooking — and also about work and and then, fluent in six languages, meal, thank you. And it seems that myself and life. That was a long she traveled the world promoting these are all Spanish dishes, is that time ago, but now I see my guests Torres wines. Yet despite all her correct? enjoying this food, and I know that accomplishments and drive, Torres Marimar Torres [MT] Yes, and all that work I did back then is still knew she wouldn’t have a hand in all the recipes come from the two paying off and it is a part of my life running the family business. She cookbooks I wrote [“The Spanish even now. was a well-bred, young woman in Table” and “The Catalan Country [V&WM] I mentioned to a friend Francoist Spain of the 1970s. As Kitchen”]. in the wine industry I’d be inter- such, her fate was to be a fashion- [V&WM] Have you always liked viewing you, and the first thing she able lady, marry a rich man and live to cook? said was: “You know how Margrit a life of leisure. But Torres isn’t [MT] When I was young, I Mondavi is the ultimate hostess, the leisurely type, sitting back and wasn’t allowed to cook. The cooks the grande dame of Napa Valley? awaiting her destiny. She’s more did the cooking. I was supposed to That’s what Marimar is for Sonoma of a take-the-bull-by-the-horns, grow up to be a lady and so I wasn’t County.” Are you aware that that’s never-say-die type. allowed in the kitchen. I’d sneak in your reputation? With that independent streak and sometimes and made very good [MT] Thank you so much. Being tenacious spirit, Torres left the Old friends with the cooks, and when compared to Margrit is an honor. I Country and moved to the American my parents went on trips, I could believe many of us in this business West. She set her sights on running help a bit, but I didn’t really know very much enjoy that aspect of it. her own winery and, after exploring how to do anything. It wasn’t until You want to create a lovely expe- the area for a few years, she settled I’d already moved to the United rience for your guests. You want down in the Green Valley region States that I began to cook. Back excellent wine but you also want of Russian River Valley. A world then, not many people here knew good food and good company and away from the mansions and ser- much about Spanish cuisine, and talking and laughter. That’s what vants of her youth, Torres had just I wanted to show them what we we’re really creating for our guests enough money to buy some land, have back home. Plus, I figured, I’d and wine club members; a wonder- plant half a vineyard and then sell need some authentic dishes to pair ful time, a wonderful memory. those grapes to plant the rest. But with my wines once I had a winery. [V&WM] Tell me about your her family, which had been hoping So, I decided I better learn to cook, wine events. for her return, didn’t give their way- and I just jumped into it by writing [MT] We just started a new wine ward daughter the funds to start a a cookbook. My family has many experience in which we make the winery. Undeterred, Torres rolled up her sleeves and just kept working. Following her first , she took her grapes to an outside facil- ity to make the wine there. When MARIMAR TORRES’ RÉSUMÉ finished, she traveled back to Spain with a few bottles so her family + Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain could taste it for themselves. Even under the best of circumstances, + Current Position: Founder/Proprietor Torres’ father was not one to give + Professional Background: Bodegas Torres export sales manager until a praise. And these were not the 1975 move to California. She holds a degree in business and economics best of circumstances. Her father from the University of Barcelona, is a graduate of the Stanford Executive took a sip of the wine and remained Program and studied enology and for a year at UC Davis. Today, silent for a while. Then he turned she oversees her winery and vineyards in Russian River Valley. All wines to his wife and announced: “This is produced are estate grown. the best I’ve tasted in + Personal Interests: Skiing, running, biking, tennis and exercising my life. We must build a winery in California.” www.vwmmedia.com Sept - Oct 2016 | VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 51 lunch and our guests go up into my home and to my personal wine cel- lar and pick out any bottle they want to have with their meal. They can explore the cellar and have some fun talking and searching together. And when they’ve decided on a bottle, they take it outside to our redwood grove and eat lunch out on the picnic tables, under the trees or enjoying the gorgeous view. Another thing we do is a tour of Spain in the summer. It’s very unique because it’s much more personal and intimate than your usual winery tour. About 30 of our club members travel to Spain, and I show them around. We go and see my family and have exclusive tours of the Torres , Barcelona, Stiges and more. And, of course, my family is connected with the other wine families, and so we go and visit them as well. It’s like going to Spain to spend time with your

After exploring the area for a few years, she settled down in the Green Valley region of Russian Torres’ home is furnished with many antique items imported from Spain, including River Valley. A world away from this desk cabinet (shown both closed and open) and birdcage. the mansions and servants of her friends and family at their wineries [V&WM] Besides the look and youth, Torres had just enough instead of going there as a tourist. feel of the winery, I understand the money to buy some land. I also like to give wine club wine itself is also European in style. members a taste of Can you tell me about that? right here in Sonoma County. For [MT] Yes, we grow the grapes example, we hold an annual Fla- the way they do in Europe. The Her father took a sip of the wine menco dancing show and dinner vines are trained very close to the and remained silent for a while. that’s very popular. And there are ground on vertical trellises and the also the paella lunches — I can say planting density is 2,000 vines per Then he turned to his wife and that paella is my specialty. I do all acre, which is four times more than announced: “This is the best the cooking for our winery events. the classic style in California. The white wine I’ve tasted in my life.- The day before an event, I’m in the high density heightens root com- kitchen the entire time and every- petition and reduces vigor, which We must build a winery in Cal one knows to keep away and not also reduces the output per vine. ifornia.” interrupt me for any reason. I have It’s very labor intensive and the such a good time. yields are lower, but the benefit is Not long afterward, with the- help of her mother and broth ers,[email protected] Torres built her eponymous Early Bird Deadline: September 15, 2016 winery and planted another We grow the grapes the way they do in Europe.Deadline: The vines November are 14, 2016 vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. TM She’s been making exceptional trained very closeJudging: to the November ground 15-16, 2016 wines ever since. on vertical trellisesEnter: winecompetitions.comand the planting density is 2,000 vines perEst. acre... 1990 52 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Sept - Oct 2016 www.vwmmedia.com that the grapes have a greater con- centration of flavor and a better bal- ance. They simply taste better. The other reason they taste so good is that they’re grown organi- cally and biodynamically. The vine- yard is healthy and the grapes are of a higher quality. It’s good for our environment, it’s good for our vine- yard workers and it’s good for our customers. It’s a lot more expen- sive, but everyone wins. [V&WM] What excites you about the future of your winery? [MT] The most exciting thing is that Cristina [Torres’ daughter] is finishing up her studies. She was at Princeton and then Wharton, and A typically cool, misty morning over Russian River Valley, as seen from Torres’ now she’s almost done. She grew vineyard home. up here, among the vines; this is in her blood. My dream is that she’ll also the matriarch of a budding like to stay in Spain and live the take this winery to the next level. branch of a wine empire. How do life of stability and leisure that was I’m very proud and happy of where you have the time and energy to do expected of you? the winery is now, but this is just everything you do? [MT] If I’d never left, if I’d never the first generation. In Spain, we [MT] [Laughs] Well, the first ventured out and lived the life I’ve have several generations of my thing is to take care of yourself. I had, I wouldn’t have known any dif- family in the wine industry, from exercise an hour and a half almost ferently. So, I assume I would have father to son. But this will be the every day so that I have strength been happy the other way because first time from mother to daughter. and energy. And the next thing I wouldn’t have known how much And I hope that this winery is just is to simply decide to set a goal better life can be. the beginning of something that and accomplish it. It really is that will be much greater after several straightforward. And it’s something M.V Wood is a freelance writer generations. I enjoy doing. based in Sonoma County. You can [V&WM] So, on top of running [V&WM] Nevertheless, running reach her at [email protected] a business and hosting events and a business involves a great deal of cooking and conducting tours of hard work and risk. Do you ever Comments? Please e-mail us at feed- Spain and on and on, I see you’re wonder what it would have been [email protected].

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