Transported across oceans by sea captains for over three centuries. Exported from the nineteenth century onwards to the new World. Today, a well-recognised name in over 100 countries. Torres wines, and of late brandies, have carved a niche for themselves, in diverse cultures and supermarkets.
Miguel Torres wears history lightly. The current head of the 300-plus year old wine brand on his latest visit to India recently, Torres professes he is increasingly interested in and intrigued by the country. Incidentally this is technically not a new market for the company, as even about 50 years ago, a small degree of imports did come to India, presumably for staff of the Iberian nations, guesses Torres. ?My father used to export a few cases in the 1960s, and I would then ask him why we spent a hefty amount on duties for such low volumes,? remembers Torres. ?He would explain to me that establishing a presence was important as well!?
In 2001, the family-owned company formed a JV in India called TTG (Torres, Thapar and Grant). ?The market is starting to boom, and this year we are investing $1 million in the JV,? says Torres. ?We have 35 labels here already and are going to extend our presence and get more people,? he sounds the optimistic note. ?We currently sell 5,000 cases in India, and are growing at about 25% year-on-year.?
Torres, which today has vineyards in California and Chile, besides the family?s historic ones at Vilafranca del Pened?s, Catalonia, has the usual moan about India ? terrible taxation structure. ?It makes wines too expensive, prohibiting growth,? stresses Torres. He compares the situation to China, which also had duties up to 75%, but later removed them, giving a fillip to the sector there.? But hesitant about taking the comparison too far, he says, ?China and India are comparable only to an extent, as the cultures and practices are entirely variant.? He points out that only by making it a level playing field will Indian wine makers also improve, as competition will make quality a determinant in growth. ?Every time I come and taste Indian wine, I notice they have improved.?
Retail is another area where Torres would India to stride ahead. ?Wine needs to be distributed through supermarkets and related distribution channels for it to reach a significant number of people,? he says, pointing to the growth in markets like the UK.
Torres has already established itself in hotels and restaurants (which get a duty concession) in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa, and the company now plans to expand in areas like Kerala, Bangalore and Rajasthan, which also have a high presence of tourists in the country. Torres however is quick to say that he is encouraged by the popularity of the brand among Indians. ?Our main attention is on Indians as their senses are well developed.? He suggests starting out with entry-level wines like Sangre del Toro (red) or Vi?a Sol (white) before moving to single vineyard wines and Noble wines. Torres admits that India is still a small market. UK is the largest export market as a nation, while the EU makes up for about 50% of the annual sales. ?We are also strong in the US where quarter of our sales are done, and the rest of the world making up the balance,? he says.
Interested in exploring Hinduism, Torres also has another interest in India, for which he visited far-flung Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. ?We have been funding Spanish NGO Fundacion Vicente Ferrar, who do exemplary work in the region.? Incidentally the group, which aims to stay a self-financed family company, has such activities in the nations they work in. So for those bothered, here?s a wine with a conscience!