Castro Ventosa / Fam. Pérez Pereira
Castro Ventosa – a winery in the heart of the Bierzo wine-growing region. The Bierzo region comprises around 3,500 hectares of vineyards, 70 per cent of which are planted with vines aged between 40 and over 100 years. The native Mencía grape variety thrives in the sandy limestone soil.
In 1752, a member of the Pérez Pereira family acquired 54 hectares of land in Valtuille de Abajo. The family has been dedicated to winegrowing there for four generations and is now one of the most prominent names in the Bierzo region. The historic Castro Ventosa winery cultivates some of the area’s finest vineyards, focusing on the indigenous Mencía grape variety, which thrives in the ideal conditions found here.
Red wines from Castro Ventosa / Fam. Pérez Pereira
from Castro Ventosa / Fam. Pérez Pereira
Álvaro Palacios played an important role in the winery’s recent history. Before this now world-renowned winemaker launched his own projects in Bierzo (now in partnership with his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios), he worked as a ‘flying winemaker’ at Castro Ventosa, where he deepened his knowledge of the Mencía grape and the region’s distinctive terroirs. Later, through his own wines, he made a significant contribution to raising the international profile of Bierzo.
Thanks to the Pérez Pereira family’s many years of experience and their deep connection to the historic vineyards, Castro Ventosa produces characterful Mencía wines of the highest quality. El Valtuille and El Castro de Valtuille, in particular, are regarded as impressive ambassadors for the region and are among the finest expressions of this fascinating grape variety. Incidentally, ‘El Valtuille’ translates as ‘Valley of Olive Oil’. The name refers to the numerous olive trees in the surrounding area, which have been cultivated for oil production for generations.
Producer
Roland und Karin Lenz
In 1994, while Roland Lenz was still studying oenology, he and his wife Karin were able to acquire eight hectares of vines on the Iselisberg. It was a unique opportunity that they seized, even though they were toying with the idea of setting up their own business abroad, far from Switzerland. They actually did so later, but that's another story…
Villa Carumè – Assuli
Villa Carumè is situated between Mazara del Vallo and Trapani, where the wind blows in from the Mediterranean across the vineyards and the sun shines practically all year round. The vineyards benefit from a warm Mediterranean climate, plenty of sunshine and constant sea breezes. Here, wines are produced from typical Sicilian grape varieties such as Grillo and Nero d’Avola.
The Wild Alps
In 2016, Theresia Angel-Hämmerle and Peter Angel from Vorarlberg founded “The Wild Alps”, based in Balgach, Switzerland, to develop and produce an exceptional portfolio of fine spirits. Their vision was to capture the quintessence of gin, whisky, rum and vodka to really excite aficionados.