Fermí Ferré
Fermí has been with Familia Torres for more than twenty-five years, and he has dedicated his entire life to cultivating the land. He exemplifies a man with roots and values as sturdy as an oak. His path in life has gone against the current, shaking up the normal course of events. He has acquired insight and complexity through countless experiences with the land and wine. This is his story.
Born in Selva del Camp (Tarragona), Fermí spent his childhood among baskets of hazelnuts, grapevines, and olive groves. Crops that are typical to the area. But then a visionary teacher entered the scene and built on the family tradition: “I studied viticulture and enology in Falset, encouraged by my parents and my ninth grade teacher (these were not well-known studies at the time). A few years later, when I was already working at Familia Torres, I continued my studies at Rovira i Virgili University.”
“I remember the vineyard we used to call ‘Suru.’ I remember the harvest, the feel of the earth. Working the fields on weekends and during the summer creates a special bond that stays with you forever.”
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Fermí Ferré shows us the importance of skillful pruning at the Mas de la Rosa vineyard (DOQ Priorat), a Familia Torres property
Fermí's training culminated in the lab, and he went on to become an enologist in 1992, a position he held until 1999. But the land beckoned. Those who feel the bond, also feel the pull. And so, at the start of the new century, Fermí heeded the familiar call.
“I decided on a different direction, to return to my roots and start a vineyard from scratch. I switched from enology to winegrowing, which is rather unusual. Soon after, I became the vineyard manager at the Familia Torres estates in Priorat and Montsant. My home.”
Every word Fermí says, reveals a man who loves his day-to-day; who appreciates the gift of a vibrant ampelographic world that changes with every season: “The moment when the first buds begin to appear in early April is very special. From that moment on, and until the harvest, we have to keep a close eye.”
The vine's every detail, every minute change, offers a snapshot that Fermí examines with the same amazement as when he was a little boy. “I love the small vineyards and their fall colors in Priorat. It is visually stunning.”
“Our small victories are the good harvest years, when the quality is excellent.”
As far as his personal tastes, Fermí admits a weakness for white wines with a strong identity and light body. Unsurprising for a man who took the opposite path, from the winery to the vineyard. He might nurture the cradle of astoundingly deep reds, but he proclaims his love for wine's white soul—wines he likes to share with “friends who have curious minds and palates.”
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Fermí Ferré is proud to return to his roots as Familia Torres's vineyard manager in Priorat
A man who goes against the current. The kind of person who not only loves and cares for the vineyards, but shapes their personality. He is one of us.