Meet the Amazing Greystone Interns: Gabe Torres

Every harvest season, Greystone welcomes a team of interns from all over the world—Italy, France, Germany, England, North America, and beyond. While they come from different backgrounds, they share a passion for wine and a dedication to learning and growing in this field.

Harvest is an intense and rewarding time, filled with long days of pressing, fermenting, monitoring, and plenty of cleaning. Through the hard work, we exchange knowledge, techniques, and traditions from our respective corners of the industry. Our interns don’t just work together; they live together, eat together, and become part of the Greystone family. These connections last long after the wine has finished fermenting and is put to barrel, as we continue to exchange visits, bottles, and friendships across the globe. In this blog series, we introduce you to the people behind the harvest—their backgrounds, inspirations, and aspirations.

Q&A with Greystone Intern – Gabe Torres

Q: Where are you originally from, and where do you live now?
A: I was born and raised in Sayreville New Jersey in the United States of America and I currently still live here.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in the wine industry, and how long have you been working in this field?
A: In college I studied plant biology with a focus of horticulture at Rutgers University so I have always had an interest in plants and products made from them. After I received my bachelor’s degree I decided to continue my studies and enroll in the Grape and Wine science certification program at Rutgers. This 120 hour educational program gave me the basics in wine science and viticulture which eventually led to an internship I received through the program. After my first harvest I was offered a full time position as the Cellar Hand William Heritage Winery which is where I completed my internship. I have now been working in this field for roughly a year and 6 months.

Q: What’s your line of work back home?
A: I am the cellar hand at William Heritage Winery. Our 4 person cellar crew works with over 20 varieties which are mostly vinifera grapes. We pull in roughly 160 tons and produce 20,000 cases between our estate and formula wine programs.

Q: How did you first learn about Greystone Wines?
A: I first heard of Greystone Wines through our new winemaker Darrin Scott, who also worked at Greystone 8 years ago. With his help I’ve found myself taking on my first international harvest.

Q: What excites you the most about this upcoming vintage?
A: I am very excited to see how organic viticulture and winemaking occur this vintage since here in New Jersey we cannot make organic wines due the harsh pest and disease pressure of the northeastern United States.

Q: Have you visited New Zealand before, or have you explored other winemaking regions?
A: I have never visited New Zealand although I have visited the FLX wine region in New York. They have beautiful German style vinifera wines.

Q: What do you enjoy most about vintage?
A: What I really enjoy about vintage is the difference in variation each year. I enjoy vertical tastings for that exact reason, to see the different expressions of the wines.

Q: Was wine a part of your family life growing up? Did your parents drink it or let you try a sip?
A: Coming from a Polish background my family has always drank wine and beer. Occasionally my grandma or aunt would sneak me a sip of either but back then I obviously did not have the taste for it.

Q: If you could choose one last wine to enjoy, what would it be (death row wine)?
A: My death row wine would be a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I love full body high tannin red wines.

Q: What future aspirations do you have – in or out of the wine world? 
A: In the future I hope to become a full time winemaker and possibly dabble in other types of beverage production such as distillation and brewing.