As a first generation native Californian born of Mexican descent, Oscar grew up in the San Joaquin Valley near Fresno. Growing up as the son of farm working family, his parents taught him how to care for grapevines and the soil. Oscar developed a strong connection to the land and the vine which developed into a passion that became his life’s pursuit. As his farming career developed, so did his interest in wine and his curiosity in the sciences of viticulture and enology. He enrolled in California State University Fresno to quench his thirst for knowledge. Upon graduating from Fresno State in 2003 with a degree in enology, Oscar Ramos-Torres initiated his career in the wine industry with his first crush as assistant winemaker to Jim Van Haun at Cedar View Winery.
“I've always been involved in the operations of the vineyard. That’s experience not a lot of people have.”
The Ramos Torres brand was born while Oscar continued winemaking at Cedar View during the 2005 vintage. Ramos Torres’ first vintage was exciting and surreal. Although Oscar’s first vintage produced a minuscule 200 cases, it was still an exhilarating achievement and would set the stage for future success. In 2008, Oscar opened the Ramos Torres tasting room in Kingsburg and the wines proved prosperous within the community. Meanwhile, Ramos Torres was beginning to out-grow the small facility that they shared with Cedar View Winery. Oscar soon undertook an expansion to the tasting room building to house a new winery. In 2012 Ramos Torres had its first full crush at the new winery.
