Raúl Pérez grew up among the vines of Valtuille de Abajo. His family has made wine in Bierzo for generations, and he began at their Castro Ventosa cellar before developing projects under his own name in Bierzo, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and farther afield. Many of his bottles carry the name of a village, slope or tiny parcel because the place, rather than a house style, is the point of the wine.
Wine critics and specialist publications frequently associate his work with old vines and restrained cellar techniques. In Bierzo that usually means Mencía, often mixed in old field plantings with small proportions of other local grapes. Accounts of the winemaking refer to whole bunches, long maceration and large or previously used vessels, with less emphasis on obvious new-oak flavour.
The 100-point wines
Several wines connected with Pérez have received maximum scores from leading critics. La Muria, from a steep, high Bierzo site, earned 100 Parker points. Such bottles are scarce and expensive. The useful consequence for a visitor is broader: the scores drew international attention to Valtuille, Corullón and the old vineyards around Cacabelos and Villafranca.
Pérez is often described in wine coverage as El Mago del Vino, the Wine Wizard. It is a media nickname rather than a description created by Ultreya Tours. A tasting in Bierzo is especially useful when it compares villages or soils instead of concentrating on one highly scored label.
The wine beside a batea
In Rías Baixas, Pérez worked with winemaker Rodrigo Méndez on Sketch, an Albariño made near Cambados. Bottles were lowered into the Arousa estuary and aged under water beside the mussel-farming platforms known as bateas.
The grapes were grown in vineyards on land. The bottled wine was aged beneath the sea, generally described at depths around 14 to 20 metres. Constant darkness, cool temperature, pressure and the movement of the estuary created an unusual ageing environment. It was an experiment in bottle maturation, not maritime viticulture. The shell-encrusted bottles became the most visible part of the story, while the wine itself remained a serious Albariño produced in tiny quantities.
Visiting the wineries
- Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez, Calle Promadelo s/n, 24530 Valtuille de Abajo, León. This is Raúl Pérez’s own winery, in the village where he grew up among old Mencía vineyards.
- Castro Ventosa, Calle El Barredo 27A, 24530 Valtuille de Abajo, León. This is the Pérez family’s historic winery, where Raúl began working. It remains a separate family business. Visit requests can be made through
info@castroventosa.comor by telephone on +34 987 562 148. - Forjas del Salnés, Aldea Seixiños 72, 36967 Meaño, Pontevedra. Rodrigo Méndez’s winery is closely associated with Pérez through wines including Sketch and gives the story a Rías Baixas setting among Albariño vineyards.
Let us arrange a winery experience
Ultreya Tours can request and book a winery tour as part of a private Camino or Galicia itinerary. Tell us whether you are most interested in Raúl Pérez’s Bierzo story, old-vine Mencía, the Albariño collaboration in O Salnés or a broader introduction to the region. We coordinate the appointment, transport and timing with the rest of the journey.
In Bierzo, ask to taste regional Mencía beside a village or parcel wine. The contrast explains the area faster than a search for one highly scored bottle. In Meaño, ask specifically about the Albariño work and whether the current visit includes wines made with Raúl Pérez.
Our French Way stages pass through Ponferrada, Cacabelos and Villafranca del Bierzo, making a Bierzo winery visit a natural addition. In O Salnés, a tasting can be combined with Cambados, a seafood lunch or the Portuguese Spiritual Variant. Start planning and tell us whether you would prefer a technical tasting, an informal cellar visit or lunch with local wines.
