Verónica Ortega

Born in Cádiz, Andalusia, in 1978, oenologist Verónica Ortega – the daughter, incidentally, of legendary Spanish matador Rafael Ortega - is one of the most brilliant winemakers of her generation. Praised by prestigious wine critics and appreciated by discerning aficionados worldwide, her wines capture some of the finest expressions of the Spanish terroir available on the market.

After getting an oenology degree at the University of Cádiz, Verónica Ortega cut her teeth working at several wineries, both in Spain and abroad. Her journey started in Priorat, where she collaborated with Daphne Glorian, of Clos Erasmus fame, and Álvaro Palacios, the creator of the legendary L'Ermita. Thanks to a letter of recomendation from Mr Palacios, Verónica Ortega was given entrance to the holliest of hollies, Domaine de la Romainée-Conti from Burgundy. There, after completing her internship, she became the first woman in history to be hired as member of the cellar crew.

Upon her return to Spain after five years in France, Verónica Ortega was encouraged by Raúl Pérez and others to try her luck in El Bierzo, by then still a relatively unknown wine region in northern Spain. Her debut vintage was in 2010, and in 2012 she decided to settle in Valtuille de Abajo to pursue her personal project. Nowadays, she works around 10 hectares of old and very old vineyards – some over 100 years of age – most of which owned by local winegrowers. The wines are made at a recently build facility situated in the village of Carracedelo, not far from Valtuille.

The wines of Bodega Verónica Ortega are superb examples of the traditional Bierzo varieties. The wine portfolio is mainly comprised of Mencía red wines - most of which are actually field blends containing a small percentage of white varieties. – According to Ms Ortega, Mencía – the flagship variety of DO Bierzo - is particularly noteworthy for its neutral and terroir-transparent character, which she likens to that of Pinot Noir. Besides the red wines, the Verónica Ortega winery makes several whites wines from Godello, a variety that in Ms Ortega's hands attains a level of precision and depth that is not that common in the white wines from Spain. The winery currently makes around 70,000 bottles per year.

• Year of foundation: 2010
• Address: C. de San Pedro, 52
• City: Carracedelo
  
• Province: León
• Zip code: 24549
  
• Country: Spain
• Phone number: 34 644 226 490
  
• www.veronica ortega.es
• Guided visits? No
• Wine tourism services? No

Designations of origin:

Bierzo

Red wine varieties:

Mencía, Alicante Bouschet, Estaladiña.

White wine varieties:

Godello, Doña Blanca, Palomino.