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 "Torres"
translated into English means "Towers". Torres is also a brand; an international
wine brand- in fact the No.1 spirit and wine brand from Europe, that found
itself at 15th place in last year's global brand survey, 'The Power 100.'
An Alert Torres
At 67, Miguel is as alert, though not agile as ever.
'They are tourists-Spanish tourists,' he whispers to us when a couple
of customers go past him without noticing him, and continues talking.
We were having a tower-oops- power lunch at the majestic
Imperial Hotel and he was talking to us about the meeting of the shareholders
yesterday, whether they planned to add more to the 35 odd labels already
existing in India and how they plan to utilise the $1 million more they
are putting in to strengthen the distribution system.
In the world of wine, Miguel Torres is one of the most
recognisable figures. The Spanish tourists obviously did not expect to
find their tower here and were too busy talking about the beautifully
manicured gardens overlooking the coffee shop and failed to notice him.
Miguel is aging very gracefully- like their top-end
Reserva Real, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet
Franc which matures slowly, gracefully, elegantly and regally; speaking
of which, he was anointed the (Wine) King of Spain in 2002 by Decanter
magazine.
Torres the businessman
Do not be fooled by his soft and elegant appearance. His piercing eyes
should tell you he means business- € 200 m. worth of it. That is
what his family owned and controlled empire netted in revenues last year,
selling 5 million cases-25 times the amount of foreign wines consumed
by India last year. The macho Indians did consume whisky and other hard
liquors too, more than 25 times his production.
The annual import of about 5000 cases of Torres to India,
is miniscule and insignificant at the moment, but like a gambler, he is
betting that India will come out of the high tax regime and that it offers
great potential as a wine destination. He is truly an India lover. 'I
like and respect Hinduism and it gives me pleasure to come here year after
year,' says the frequent traveller.
Brand Torres seems to be omnipresent, in Delhi at least.
'Sanjeev did a good job of promoting it in Delhi. We want to make it popular
nationally now,' says Don Miguel. Mark Perelló was dispatched from
Spain to Mumbai in January when Sanjeev left the company. 'Sumit (Sehgal)
is doing a good job as the Manager- Sales and Marketing. I hope between
the two of them they will be able to handle the company's growth.' 
Would he consider going public with such a vast empire
he is heading? 'Are you kidding!' say his piercing eyes. With son Miguel
Junior and the chemical engineer daughter Mireia firmly by his side, sharing
responsibilities, 'I don't think there is any need for us to ever consider
going public and I hope my children feel the same way.'
Quality and Safety of Wine
Ask him about the factors for his success and his face lights up. 'My
father used to tell me, when you walk into a restaurant or a shop to sell
wine, nobody will be interested in you. You must first be their friends.
Our philosophy is to give value for money, good quality wine and make
friends with all our customers.'
It should come as no surprise that about 120,000 people
visit the wineries annually, taking train rides that take them from station
to station.
'Another thing we are concerned about is the safety,'
he stresses. 'When our customers drink Torres they can be sure it is a
safe product.' He was very concerned about the recent scandal that seems
to be erupting in the southern part of Italy, where the tampering with
quality and specifications has been in the news.
He showed me an article in a mainline Spanish newspaper
whose headlines screamed the hand of the mafia in the entire episode,
something I had not read when in Verona. 'The problem is when such a thing
happens, many people around the world might get scared of drinking wine
and would rather switch to beer.'
Italy has since issued a statement already reported
in delWine, confirming that Italian wines are safe to drink. The eruption
of this volcanic news, along with the Brunello episode on the day of the
opening of Vinitaly, reminds one in India of Rakesh Roshan's brush with
the ad-jingle composer Sampath on the eve of the former's release of his
latest blockbuster Krazzy 4 today.
Indo-European Venture
Exports to India are through a Euro-Indian collaboration
like in China where Torres collaborates with the Great Wall winery. Gautam Thapar, Chairman of the $3 billion Avantha group
and Prem Patnaik are currently the Indian half
of the TTG Pvt Ltd., which imports Torres wines from Spain, Chile and
the US. Torres and John Grant (if you ever wondered what G stood for!)
of Glenfarclas Whisky own the European half.
Global Warning and the Environment
Torres has a lot of respect for the environment, although
Don Miguel is not too concerned with the temperature increase that is
threatening several countries. 'At the last conference held by Pancho
Campo (President of our associate, Spanish Wine Academy) in January, I
had presented some arguments and even Al Gore endorsed my view point,'
he says. 'It is true that the temperature has increased by about 2.5°
C in both the northern and southern hemispheres during the last 50 years
and countries like UK, New Zealand etc are feeling the results. However,
in the Mediterranean regions like Spain, Italy etc. the increase has been
only about 1°C which is not a matter of too much concern.'
He is more concerned about the Milankovitch theory (concerning
solar spots-a subject for another time), the Greenhouse effect and the
emission of carbon dioxide and El Niño. 'We are already using solar
panels, electrically powered vans, reforestation, re-use of waste water
and whatever else we can do to reduce carbon dioxide emission and will
continue to work in this direction,' he adds.
Alcohol Content in Wine
Rising alcohol being a cause of concern for health,
I asked him how much alcohol he advocated for his wines. 'Of course, it
is a matter of balance between various components but I am not a proponent
of high alcohol,' he insists. Viña Esmeralda that we are served
as an aperitif at the lunch at Hotel Imperial (where the waiter faintly
tries to push Evian mineral water rather than the Indigenous Himalaya),
is profusely aromatic due to the Gewürztraminer grape and intensely
fresh, crispy and fruity with tropical flavours due to the majority of
Moscatel- the alcohol level was a down-to-earth 11%.
The next wine, a Marimar Chardonnay from his sister's
estate of the same name in Russian River Valley in Sonoma County punches
my palate with the oaky flavour- very unlike the old world style. That
the alcohol level was 13.5% was something he would not approve of, if
it weren't from the family winery. 'But that is the California style,'
interjects the French Export Manager Nicolas Bertino who is also accompanying
Miguel on the Indian visit. A powerful wine, it would probably go well
with mutton Biryani or fish curry.
I could not help asking him about the higher alcohol
content in Rioja where he has bought land recently and is building a winery
to come out with Crianza wines from the next vintage. The answer was spontaneous;'
I have no experience with Rioja yet.' Coming from the Decanter Man of
the Year 2002, he could not have been more diplomatic. He did admit that
Priorat wines might have 14% or even 14.5%, though.
Torres on Terroir
'We have a word in Spanish called Fincas. It refers to single vineyards
and relates rather well to the terroir.' I do believe that a wine should
and does reflect terroir. In Cataluña when I make wine, it should
reflect the Catalonian character. In Chile, I look for the wine to express
the personality of that area.
'Our Reserva Real is made from the Bordeaux varietals
but it will not taste like a Medoc wine, either.'
Torres plans to add a few Fincas wines to India.
Torres in Chile
Read any respectable wine book and it would remind you
that the defining moment in Chile's wine boom and a quantum jump in quality
came when Miguel decided to enter Chile in 1979. It is ironic that Spain
invaded Chile in the middle of the seventeenth century when some of the
'visitors' took vines with them and The South American nation was aided
by another Spaniard over 300 years later, to boost the level of quality
and help them become an important wine exporting nation.
Miguel is quite business-like about it and says matter-of-factly,'
I just introduced the latest technology and equipments prevailing at that
time and better viticulture techniques.' So how are they doing now in
Chile? 'Well, we are concentrating on the premium wines. With 75% of our
wines exported, we contribute 1% of the total Chilean exports,' he added
As expected, the influence of Torres may have diminished
because of the emergence of several new and progressive wineries and the
participation of many French, Italian, American and other foreign wineries,
but the important role he has played in the development of wine industry
in Chile cannot be overlooked.
The 'King' was under the weather due to a minor surgery
he has had recently and needed rest before meeting another journalist.
So the questions like - what he thinks of the future of Spanish wines
in the world, especially in India, experiences of Torres in China, about
his political aspirations or diplomatic inclinations and last but not
the least, if he wishes to do a Chile in India - would have to wait till
his next visit.
Perhaps Miguel Junior or Mireia would have some thoughts
to share with me when I meet them again for the Top Wines of Spain tasting
in Seville next month.
Subhash Arora
April 11, 2008
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