Raul Perez

He is probably the most imitated winemaker in Spain. Raúl Pérez works out of Valtuille de Abajo in Bierzo, in the northwest, and has a hand in wines across Galicia and León.

History

He was born in the village and started out at Castro Ventosa, the family winery, where his family has grown grapes for generations. In 2003 he set up on his own under the name Ultreia, the greeting pilgrims used on the Camino de Santiago, meaning roughly "let's go further." He later took the reins at Castro Ventosa again, and started La Vizcaína with his nephew César Márquez.

The vineyards

Old, mostly small plots around Valtuille, plus sites in Ribeira Sacra, Rías Baixas and Monterrei. He chooses the vineyard first and worries about the paperwork later, so several wines sit outside any appellation.

The grapes

Mencía above all, usually as an old field blend with whatever was planted alongside it, Alicante Bouschet, Bastardo, Godello, Doña Blanca. In Galicia, Albariño.

The wines

Ultreia is the Bierzo core. Sketch, made with Rodrigo Méndez, is the famous Albariño, part of it aged under the sea. Areas de Montalvo is another Albariño, from sandy soils near the sea in Val do Salnés, fermented and aged a year in barrel with no stirring and no racking. The idea dates from 1997, but the first vintage, 2017, was held back five years before release.