In autumn the vineyards of the Penedès shine a toasted ochre. Stillness takes over the fields, while inside the warehouses there is a hustle and bustle to dispatch orders left behind from the Christmas campaign. It is the last arreón of a season that will close with a positive balance. After the pandemic hit of 2020, a drop in business of almost 30%, the winemakers of the Penedès Denomination of Origin (DO) are breathing because this year they have returned to the path of 2019. The acceleration of the restoration and the recovery of exports catapult sales to 18 million bottles. An economic boost that comes at a key moment for producers, immersed in the process of restructuring to convert Penedès into the first 100% organic Spanish wine DO. The calendar is overwhelming, because the goal is set for 2025. But there is no possible hesitation. "We have to treat nature better and contribute to mitigating climate change," says Joan Huguet, president of the regulatory council.

Familia Torres is one of the historical companies of the Penedès. It accumulates a legacy of 150 years making wine and brandy, and five generations have been at the helm of the business. The concern for working the vineyards while ensuring the environmental footprint has been expressed for some time by Miguel A. Torres. "If we don't drastically lower emissions, it will be impossible to prevent temperatures from warming above two degrees by the end of this century," he warns. It would be a curse for viticulture: it disrupts yields, alters the ripening cycle and forces the search for farms in higher latitudes to avoid the impact of heat.

From his office in Pacs del Penedès, the president of Torres surveys the exclusive plots where the cabernet sauvignon grows, which will give life to the house's highest-end red wine, Mas la Plana. The postcard seems durable, but the owner warns about the threatening effect that the impact of polluting gases has on the natural environment: "The problem is very serious, we are exposing ourselves to terrible consequences and, despite this, there is brutal ignorance."

According to a report by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, agriculture was the source of 14.1% of greenhouse gas emissions in Spain last year. The measured records showed a 1.2% increase in these emissions, compared to 2019. Transport and industry cause 27.7% and 21.4% of the gases, respectively. Miguel A. Torres (the vowel of the compound name helps him to differentiate himself from his son, Miguel Torres Maczassek) has just turned 80 years old and maintains an intense work activity. More than a commitment to sustainability, he senses an obsession with environmental conflict. “For us it is a priority, because we want our children and grandchildren to be able to continue in the business in the future. Hopefully this priority becomes possible at all levels.

A conciliatory man, he understands that the current situation of economic uncertainty has put many businesses in trouble, and that readapting work practices to minimize environmental impact is an added headache. However, he does not share the complaints of a part of the sector, which screams to the skies every time a wind farm is planned near a vineyard. "The cultivation of vineyards is compatible with windmills and photovoltaic panels," he says.

The executive of brands as popular as Sangre de Toro, Viña Sol or Coronas is one of the 22 directors of International Wineries for Climate Action, an international association of wineries committed to reducing emissions and working to improve soil management.

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Regeneration

The businessman reveals that Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, had a profound impact on him and that he decided to promote a paradigm shift in the wine industry. Familia Torres is a founding member of the Regenerative Viticulture Association, an initiative that seeks to revolutionize the management of vineyards in Spain to fight climate change and at the same time regenerate soils, stop erosion and promote biodiversity.

Behind this association there are five wineries and family businesses from different territories, all of them committed to sustainability and the preservation of the planet: Torres, Clos Mogador, Can Feixes, Jean Leon and the agricultural consultant AgroAssessor. His intention is to join other winegrowers, winemakers, trainers, researchers or companies to his cause to expand this agricultural model based on restoring the carbon cycle altered by human activity.

Miguel Torres Maczassek assumes the weight of the family saga in the initiative. "We must put aside certain fears and cultural learning and be encouraged to embark on the path towards regenerative viticulture to turn vineyards into large carbon sinks, since this is the only viticultural model that makes sense in the current context," he says. . Along with his sister Mireia, he ensures the continuity of the Torres legacy.

Regenerative viticulture is a model focused on recovering life in the soil because, the more alive the land is, the more capacity it has to capture atmospheric CO2 and the more it contributes to curbing the increase in temperatures. In turn, the accumulation of organic carbon in the soil of the vineyards will help improve the health of the fields, increase their resilience to erosion and their ability to cope with drought, since they will better retain water, and will favor the biodiversity.

A plan that absorbs 11% of the benefits

The Torres group finances its commitment to green with 11% of its profits. “Last year the investment was frozen, because we didn't have it”, illustrates the president. The group has more than 1,300 hectares of its own vineyards and is present in more than 150 countries. In 2019, before the virus slowed down, exports accounted for more than 60% of the business. The turnover of then, 257 million euros, contracted last year to 212 million. The group has a workforce of 1,300 workers.