Marimar Torres is the sort of wine-maker who can seduce you with her enthusiasm, charm and varied talents. The name 'Torres' is almost synonymous with wine-making in Catalonia, where the old-established family firm of Miguel Torres is, the company that brought you 'Coronas' and its variants. With more than three centuries of wine-making tradition behind her, Marimar is today the family's ambassador to the New World - her estate, bearing her name, is in California. Her brother Miguel now runs Bodegas Torres in Spain and in Argentina, making Torres the largest independent producer in Spain.

One of her many talents is cooking. She has two books in print on the Spanish table, and one is specifically on Catalan cooking, so when it comes to making wines that match food, she's in a better position than most to do it. She studies oenology in Davis University in California and harboured since then a dream of making a winery there. Some ten years ago that dream became a reality and she named the vineyard after her father, Don Miguel Torres.

What she strove to do was to create a European style winery in California. Firstly she settled on the Russian River Valley, a part of Sonoma County about ten miles from the coast where cool ocean breezes and mists meant that the grapes have a long maturation period. The soil was ideally adapted for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are the only two varieties that are grown on the estate. Her conviction, in line with many serious wine-makers, is that to produce fine wines you must also produce your own grapes. Being able to exert quality control over the product from its inception in the vineyard to the vinification process is vital.

She runs a small team of dedicated wine-makers, and every part of the annual routine is done by hand from the pruning, to the hedging, to the picking. This last is perhaps the most crucial, because it's only when picking is done by hand that any bunch, with even minor defects, can be rejected. Unusually Marimar has elected to plant the vines in a high density; 2,000 per acre in her 88 acre estate. By planting the vine so closely there is intense root competition which results in low yields. Low yields means that the vine expends its energy on fewer bunches of grapes, resulting in more intense flavours.

Because of this direct connection from grape to wine, her wines are individualistic with a strong influence from their terroir. To some extent this connection is enhanced by her decision not to filter the Pinot Noir, leaving more essence of the natural environment in the wine. Her Chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented and is aged in oak for ten months before bottling.

Wine of the Week

Marimar Pinot Noir 1998

Because of it's European affiliations and style, this wine is comparable with a red Burgundy. I'd guess that in a blind tasting it would be described as one of Burgundy's greats and its price reflects that quality.

Available specialist wine shops, O'Briens and McCabes, £30 approx.