Bodega De Edgar

For Edgar Torres, who came to the US with his family from Mexico when he was 8, developing his own brand of wine was a realization of a true American dream. Torres first became interested in wine when he worked as a waiter at a restaurant in the wine country. His first steps as a ‘cellar rat’ (a slang term used in the industry) have been the beginnings of many wine makers. Whilst working as a cellar rat, he was able to meet with many wine makers in Paso Robles. At one of these wineries, Hug Cellars, Torres gained experience in all areas of winery management, not only as an assistant wine maker, but also as a manager of the wine club and by working with customers in the tasting room. He stopped working at Hug Cellars in 2009, and started his own brand, Bodega de Edgar (Edgar’s Winery) whilst working at Hug Cellars’ neighbor at the time, Barrel 27 Wine Company. According to Torres, “both owners were very generous in sharing their knowledge and supporting me in developing my own brand.”

The turning point came in 2014, with the decision of the owner of Hug Cellars to retire from the industry. Torres felt that it would be a great shame to lose the winery, knowing how wonderful Hug Cellars was and how much it had been supported by its customers. Augie Hug had treated Torres like a son, raising him to be a wine maker, so when he asked Torres to preserve the Hug Cellars name, Torres gladly accepted. The winery had very good relationships with the vineyards who had supplied them with grapes over the years, and the growers understood and loyally followed the expectations and conditions of their growing environments. Torres, who was well-versed in Augie’s way of doing things, followed his methods and hardened his resolve to protect the Hug Cellars brand. On the other hand, with the Bodega de Edgar brand, he focused on his own background in his winemaking, using Spanish grape varieties.

Although they handle different varieties of grape, the two brands have very similar philosophies and objectives. Wine is a gift from Mother Nature to mankind, and is made with care by everyone involved in the process, including the growers and laborers who carefully raise their grapevines with respect to nature. The Bodega de Edgar brand was picked up on by a high-end restaurant almost immediately after it began, and the name is slowly gaining recognition. People in the industry who know of Torres’ resolve and hard work have envisioned that the brand will achieve great renown in the not-too-distant future.