VÍCTOR CORTIZO
It must be the Atlantic influence. Perhaps looking inland was all one could do in this particular (and pretty) little spot, where the world ended and the horizon stretched into the unfamiliar. This is where the impossible vineyards of Rías Baixas, home to crisp whites and round reds, have witnessed harvests come of age and inevitable vocations emerge. This is true for Víctor who, as he looks back on his personal history, remarks:
“Wine was my childhood.”
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Víctor is from Xeve, Pontevedra. He grew up amid the old vines of indigenous Galician varieties which his grandparents cultivated with little knowledge, but great enthusiasm.
“I distinctly recall summer afternoons spent with my grandfather among the green Albariño and Caiño vines; the clinking ratchet on my grandparents' old screw press; the sound of the warm summer breeze rustling the green shoots and leaves of the grapevines. I love visiting the vineyards on a breezy day.”
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Albariño grapes, indigenous to the D.O. Rías Baixas.
As Víctor’s nose recalls aromas of pastry, peaches in syrup, and ripe apples, these scents come alive in our olfactory imagination as well. It is the scent memory of homemade Albariños, the result of overripe grapes and complete, unctuous malolactic fermentation.
There was no way around it. The thought that some of these memories must have struck a deep chord with young Víctor is inevitable. Imagine the excitement of someone seeing a new path stretch out before him; the thrill of a life dedicated to wine and the land. As in any good story, the twist comes at the end of the second act: “Frankly, I always saw winegrowing as a family hobby, and I didn't consider it professionally until I went to university. I was studying chemistry at the University of Santiago, and in my third year, the analytical chemistry professor suggested we do a practical course in the analysis of wine polyphenols. I decided to work on our homemade wines during the course, which is probably why I had a deeper interest in the results. The coursework had such a great impact on me that after graduating from Santiago, I went to URV (Universitat Rovira i Virgili) to study enology.”
Habemus enologist. Ergo, we might now ask ourselves: What are the region's exemplary wines? And what distinctive personal touch does Víctor give the wines he makes with Familia Torres?
“My primary focus is to enhance the essence of the terroir, and highlight the varietal aromas of the wine. I always try to ensure longevity by working with lees aging to obtain the kind of structure that will allow a wine to mature for years to come.”
Every great project comes with great responsibility. Víctor knows that “Familia Torres's project in the D.O. Rías Baixas is just starting out, but the prospects in the appellation are excellent and curiosity about the project is high. Familia Torres has been respected and admired by the Galician winemaking world for many years in terms of quality, innovation, development and environmental commitment.”
On a personal level, this new challenge shows how far he has come since the days of analyzing his grandfather's wine, which is why Víctor is the picture of a happy enologist. He feels free and motivated. And for good reason.
“This is my dream project. I feel like it is a part of me, because it's a new project, and I'm there from the very start, which is incredibly exciting to me.”
After all, someone once wisely said, “Choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life.” Víctor lives, loves and admires his profession despite the sacrifices the job demands. “When it’s time to give your full attention to the vineyard and harvest every single parcel, when the days run long, and I can't go to bed until the last pressing of the day is done, and the musts are safely and securely stored in their tanks.”
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Víctor Cortizo, enologist and head of Pazo Torre Penelas (D.O. Rías Baixas)
Given his past dedication and perfectionism, one might think that Víctor fits the profile of the exceedingly demanding consumer. His modus operandi, however, is based on common sense:
“It's about knowing where you are at any given moment and asking for an appropriate level of quality. As long as the wine is clean, correct and free of faults, we should be able to judge it based on its particular reality. For me, tasting a wine is a form of emotional expression.”
If the soul of wine encapsulates everything a living organism can offer, then our wines, made by people like Víctor, are a rich expression of humanity.