Verónica Ortega Kinki Tinto

About Verónica Ortega Kinki Tinto

Verónica Ortega Kinki Tinto is a light and chillable red wine with seductive and subtle aromas of red fruit and flower petals, herbaceous mountain air, and menthol touches. In the mouth, it is fluid, fresh, and elegant. It shows vibrant acidity and a balsamic background. A co-fermented wine made with the Mencía, Doña Blanca, Palomino, and Godello varieties. From old vines of an average of 80 years old planted in sandy-clay soils with a high presence of minerals. Through respectful agriculture, the winegrower emphasizes the importance of selecting the vines and treating them to achieve the best results. Following the precepts of organic farming, the work in the vineyard is artisanal and the harvest is done manually. In the winery, the grapes are destemmed and poured into stainless steel tanks so that they undergo a light spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and a short maceration of about 10 days. Afterwards, the wine undergoes aging that combines French oak barrels and 800-liter terracotta amphorae.

About Verónica Ortega

Here’s a little bit of Andalusian light coming to us by way of Veronica Ortega. Originally from Cadiz, her love for the Mencía grape brought her to Bierzo in northwestern Spain. Since then, she’s become a reference in the region and has blurred the lines between classic and natural Bierzo. She worked with Daphne Glorian and Alvaro Palacios in the Priorat as well as a quick stint at DRC in Burgundy before ultimately settling in Valtuille de Abajo in 2012. Raúl Pérez was nice enough to offer her some space at his winery where she made her first couple of vintages until moving into her own winery. Like everybody else in Bierzo, you could say Raúl had an influence in her winemaking but without a doubt, she’s made a name for herself recovering old winemaking traditions and redefining what Bierzo can be.

Working mostly between the towns of Valtuille and Cobrana, she’s making DO-classified wine while also making villages and single vineyard style wines. Most of her vines are over 70 years old accounting for 5 total hectares spread across more than 20 small vineyards planted on a mix of clay, sand, and slate. Her grapes are a product of organic farming and her wines are made as naturally as possible only adding minimal doses of sulfur when needed to avoid deviations. You will find her wines are straight and polished while still having a natural edge that gives them energy and life.