A big-shot European winemaker is all shook up about climate change messing with their ancestral lands in Catalonia. The Torres family, who’s been in the wine biz since 1870, is facing a tough decision: should they stay or should they go? With traditional growing areas getting hotter and drier, they’re having a bit of a crisis. Miguel Torres, the 83-year-old president, is not sugar-coating it: “I don’t know how long we can keep making good wines here, maybe 20 or 30 years, who knows. Climate change is flipping everything around.”
The fam is already making moves, installing irrigation at their vineyards in Spain and California. They’re even planting vines at higher altitudes to cope with the crazy weather. “Irrigation is the way to go. We ain’t relying on the weather anymore,” says Torres. But despite their efforts, he’s still not convinced they can keep it up in Catalonia. In a few decades, they might have to pack up and move their vineyards to cooler, wetter areas in the west. It’s a tough call, especially with tourists flocking to the region. But hey, when Mother Nature says it’s time to go, you gotta listen.
The Torres crew is sitting on over 1,000 hectares of vineyards in Catalonia, mainly in the Penedès region. They’re branching out to higher altitudes, growing grapes in places like Tremp and Benabarre. But even with all these changes, the rising temperatures are throwing them off. The average temp in Penedès has gone up by 1 degree Celsius in the last 40 years, making harvest season come earlier than before. Torres is doing everything they can to slow down grape ripening and protect that sweet nectar for winemaking. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for European vineyards, with production dropping by as much as 50 percent in some areas in 2023. Torres calls it the “worst year ever,” and things haven’t completely bounced back yet.
In the midst of all this chaos, the costs of irrigation are eating into their profits. And let’s not forget about those pesky U.S. import tariffs and the new packaging tax making things even harder. Torres is feeling the pinch, especially with exports to the UK taking a hit. But hey, they’re not giving up just yet. They’re looking into bottling some cheaper wines in the UK to save on costs. It’s a tough market out there, but Torres is determined to keep their brand alive across the pond. Not really sure why this matters, but hey, the wine world is a wild place, and Torres is just trying to survive.
