Mireia Torres Maczassek, Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Familia Torres and Director of the Jean Leon winery, has been honoured with the Prestigious Oenologist Award at the latest edition of La Nit de l’Enologia, organised by the Catalan Association of Oenologists (ACE) and the College of Oenologists of Catalonia (CEEC).

The ceremony took place on Friday, 12 June, at the Familia Torres winery in Penedès and brought together leading professionals from the wine industry, alongside institutional representatives and key figures from the field of oenology.

ACE and CEEC highlighted that the award recognises Mireia Torres’s contribution to enhancing the reputation of the wine sector, both through her technical and research work in oenology and viticulture and through her commitment to innovation and sustainability. Over the course of her career, she has helped to consolidate Familia Torres’s leadership in strategic projects such as the recovery of ancestral grape varieties, the development of Spain’s first alcohol-free wine, and the promotion of regenerative viticulture, among many others.

In her acceptance speech, Mireia Torres thanked the Catalan Association of Oenologists for the recognition and underlined the importance of the profession: “I see our work as an opportunity to elevate art through organoleptic analysis and science, and to convey the surrounding environment through wine. This award is, above all, a tribute to teamwork and to all the professionals I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with over the years.”

A fifth-generation member of the family, she also expressed her gratitude, among others, to her father and President of Familia Torres. Miguel A. Torres attended the event together with Mireia’s mother, Waltraud Maczassek, and her brother, Miguel Torres M., who wished to be by her side and support her on such a special occasion.

La Nit de l’Enologia 2026 also recognised Damià Deas with the Senior Professional Award; the communication and outreach work of Judith Cortina and David Jové with the Journalistic Merit Award; Jaume Sancho (URV) for the best academic record; and the DO Penedès with a special distinction as the first designation of origin to be 100% organic.