Veronica Ortega
Veronica Ortega
Spain • Bierzo
One of the most interesting figures among the new generation of producers working in Bierzo, Verónica Ortega grew up in the sunny city of Cádiz in southern Spain, but feels at home in the green hills of Bierzo in León. She just finds hard to get used to the foggy, rainy days in the autumn and winter.
“I was attracted by Mencía, but also by the climate and the region’s great wine growing tradition,” she explains. “I really liked the wines and the way Mencía manages to express different soils in a similar way to Pinot Noir”. Harvest dates are very important for her “as you only have a time window of three to four days to pick grapes and make balances wines. We don’t have much acidity or structure in Bierzo,” she adds. “If you pick early, you may get rustic wines; if you wait too much, you are left with tired fruit.”
Verónica’s background is impressive. She trained at Domaine de la Romanée Conti and Domaine du Compte Armand in Burgundy, worked the harvests with Daphne Glorian and Álvaro Palacios in Priorat and was winemaker at Domaine Laurent Combier in Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône).
Like other young newcomers in Bierzo, she started making her wines at Raúl Pérez’s winery in Valtuille. Verónica was still in France when she produced her first wine in the 2010 vintage but settled down in the area in 2012.
Wines We Carry
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