The 2024 Barca-Velha Golden Vines Innovation Award recognises the pioneering work of the Spanish winery to integrate sustainable winemaking practices, which combine tradition with innovation to rescue ancestral grape varieties.
Mireia Torres, fifth generation family member and director of innovation and knowledge at Familia Torres, said: "This is a recognition of the entire team of professionals dedicated to research, whether from the area of innovation and knowledge or from different departments that collaborate on projects.
“Work is carried out in various fields, including viticulture, oenology, microbiology, technology, and open innovation. Our goal is to find solutions that allow us to face the challenges of the sector by being more efficient and resilient, as well as to contribute ideas of interest for new products".
Voting for this year's awards has been attended by 1,200 wine professionals from more than 100 countries, including Masters of Wine and master sommeliers with decades of collective experience, through an extensive survey that has led to The Golden Vines Report, which was originally promoted by Gérard Basset as founder of Liquid Icons.
Familia Torres set up a research project 40 years ago to help recovering the Catalan winemaking heritage and that now focuses on recovering not only the ancestral varieties with oenological interest, but also those that best adapt to the new climatic scenario.
Its innovation and knowledge department also promotes other projects aimed at transforming vineyards and wineries towards more sustainable and resilient models. These include projects related to regenerative viticulture, a new way to manage vineyards that Familia Torres is already implementing in Spain and Chile with the aim of recovering soil fertility and promoting biodiversity, as well as capturing and fixing atmospheric CO2 to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
