Winemaking has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. According to a UC Santa Clara study, 10% of wineries have women as their lead winemaker, and only 4% of those are also winery owners. Compare that with 47% of male winemakers who are also owners. That’s a stark difference, placing the protagonist of this story as one female winemaker for every 250 males.
Marimar Torres grew up within the wine industry. She inherited the know-how from her father Miguel Torres, who ran Bodegas Torres in Spain for 60 years until he died in 1991. Bodegas Torres, originally founded in 1870 by Marimar’s great-grandfather and great uncle, has overcome many hardships. After being destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, the winery was resurrected in 1940 by Miguel. Since then, Bodegas Torres has grown to become Spain’s largest winery, but also expanded to Chile in 1979, and into California in 1986.
Marimar graduated in economics from both the University of Barcelona and Stanford. In 1975, she moved to San Francisco where she successfully introduced Torres Wines into the United States. Measuring her success is easy as she took Bodegas Torres total US sales from 15,000 cases in the 1970’s to the current 150,000 cases. Today, Torres wines are sold in 140 countries.
Miramar Torres at the Wine Cellar 
View of the Winery 
Marimar Torres in Garden with dogs 
Cristina Torres, Miguel Torres Jr, Arnaldo Torres, Waltraud de Torres, Miguel Torres (brother)_front Miramar Torres, Juan Maria Torres and Mireia Torres at Castillo Milmanda
In 1981, Marimar’s determination convinced her father to make an initial investment of $800,000 to purchase 56 acres in the Russian River/Green Valley in Sonoma. Today that land is the Don Miguel Vineyard at Marimar Estate Winery. Five years later, the first rootstocks of Chardonnay were planted. In 1988, she decided to plant the first vines of, the then underrated, Pinot Noir.
During the 1970’s and under Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, possibilities for women in the wine industry were limited. “At that time, Spain had no place for women to be in the vineyards,” said Marimar. Consequently, in 1988 she took a work absence to study viticulture and enology at UC Davis. That same year, Marimar’s brother and the heir apparent of Bodegas Torres in Spain, told her there were no funds available for a winery in California. The news upset Marimar so much that she decided to prove them wrong by making a Chardonnay with another winery.
In 1991, and just a month before her father passed away, she took a bottle of that wine for him to taste. She went on to explain, “My dad tasted the Chardonnay and told me, ‘I believe this is the best white wine I’ve ever tasted.’ Then he turned to my mother DoñaMargarita and said, ‘We must have a winery in California.’”. Soon after in 1992, Marimar, along with the support of her family, opened Marimar Estate winery. Marimar has owned and managed the winery since.
In 2002, the 20-acreDoñaMargarita Vineyard was planted on the “True Sonoma Coast.” Located just 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the site is ideal for producing Pinot Noir. Today, the winery has a total of 88 acres and its main production is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It also produces other Spanish varieties like Albariño and Tempranillo, and for the very first time this year it planted Godello. Utilizing a high-density planting method of 2,000 vines per acre, which is four times the traditional density, provides a greater flavor, finesse, more elegant aromas and better balance. Mother Nature dictates the yield, but production normally varies from 8,000 to 10,000 cases per year.
When asking Marimar what her favorite wine is, she remarked, “It would be very difficult to choose one, as it would be the same as choosing a favorite among your children, and of course all of them are. But if I am forced to choose, I would say the one with my daughter’s name, The Cristina Pinot Noir.”
According to Marimar there are five unique traits that define the winery:
- Family. The winery is family-owned and operated. Furthermore, the Torres legacy in California will be passed for the very first time, from Marimar to daughter Cristina Torres.
- Spanish. The winery is designed as a traditional Catalan farmhouse. All the furniture and décor came from Catalonia, and most pieces are antiques collected from old farmhouses.
- Food. The cultural traditions of Spain become tangible assets through tapas, paella and other traditional Spanish recipes.
- Sustainability. Composting, the use of cover crops and biodiversity are integral parts of the winery’s viticulture practices. Since 2015, the winery is also 100% solar.
- Dogs. Finally, and very close to Marimar’s heart, are the dogs. Visitors are always friendly and warmly welcomed to the farm by three huge English Springer Spaniels statues of Chico, Brandy and Bonita.
The wine club was created in 2004 and is called Club Marimar. It offers three main tiers, Oro, Plata, and Verde. Here members receive wine discounts and invitations to exclusive events including spectacular traditional Spanish meals such as paella or tapas, Flamenco dinners, tennis tournaments, and blending workshops. All events are personally hosted by Marimar. More information about Club Marimar can be found on the website at MarimarEstate.com.
Full of appreciation, she dedicates all her success in California to her parent’s support. “My father was my first and most important mentor. He taught me the three main factors for success: quality, enthusiasm and perseverance.” She went on to say, “After my father’s death, my mother became my most fervent supporter. She would be proud to know that we have started in the U.S. the first mother-to-daughter legacy.”
Cristina Torres is Marimar’s only daughter. She has learned from a very early age to love the vines. With degrees from Princeton in Economics and an MBA from Wharton, Cristina has been applying her talents within Jackson’s family wines and is poised to continue the Torres legacy in California for the first time, from mother to daughter!
Bodegas Torres (Miguel Torres, SA) is a historical wine growing company in Vilafranca del Penedes, Spain. Founded in 1870, it is the winery with the most extensive vineyards in the Appellation of origin Penedes and the largest winery in Spain. They also own vineyards in the following Appellation’s: Toro, Jumilla, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Conca de Barberàin Spain, Miguel Torres Chile and Marimar Torres in California. The Torres brand includes different brandy and wine labels such as Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro, De Casta, Coronas, Atrium and Viña Esmeralda, with their best-known brandies being Torres 5 and Torres 10.
Marimar Estate is located at11400 Graton Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472. Their phone number is 707-823-4365 ext. 101.