New winemaker for Miguel Torres Chile

Winemaker Eduardo Jordán has been appointed as the new technical director of Miguel Torres Chile, replacing Fernando Almeda who will leave the company in January.

Chilean winemaker Eduardo Jordán has spent 16 years working at De Martino in Maipo under Marcelo Retamal as second winemaker. He will now manage Torres’ growing wine production that spans more than 400 hectares from Elqui to Osorno.

“It’s a great opportunity and a new challenge for me,” says Jordán about his new position as technical director.

“Miguel Torres is a winery with a great tradition of important and innovative achievements for Chile. It’s important to me that Torres has always been committed to its growers, has a long-term outlook and is a family winery. I’m very motivated and looking forward to building on the foundations that the Torres family has laid.”

Jordán is replacing Spanish-born winemaker Fernando Almeda who first worked at Torres Spain 30 years ago, moving to Chile as technical director three years later.

“When I arrived [at Miguel Torres Chile] we were just 25 staff making 50,000 cases of eight wines,” Almeda recalls.

“Today we are over 200 staff, making 600,000 cases and 35 different wines! I’m very proud of the team I have formed and the work we have been able to do, in particular recovering old vine varieties in Chile including País, Cinsault, Moscatel and Carignan.”

Under Almeda’s tenure notable achievements also include masterminding Torres’ Escaleras de Empedrado Pinot Noir, which is produced on llicorella soils in a 364-hectare estate in Maule, and planting a new vineyard in Aysén – one of the southernmost vineyards in the world. In the immediate future, Almeda plans to focus on completing his Master of Wine qualification.