Winemakers with a Name of Their Own: Raúl Pérez
The “Winemakers with a Name of Their Own” series brings wine closer through the people who create it — their stories, passions and visions. Each edition presents a winemaker whose experience and philosophy define their wines. Raúl Pérez: The restless creator who has redefined wine in north‑western Spain
The Raúl Pérez Universe
The restless creator who transformed the wine of north‑western Spain
There are names spoken with respect in the wine world, and one of them is Raúl Pérez. Winemaker, tireless creator and defender of native varieties, his work has marked a before and after in how Bierzo —and much of north‑western Spain— is understood. Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate critic) described him as “a free spirit who never stops inventing” — and nothing could be more accurate.
His signature is unmistakable: minimal intervention, deep sensitivity to the vineyard, artisan winemaking, and wines that speak of their origin without interference.
Raúl does not work in a single territory: he produces wines in Bierzo, León, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and Monterrei under his own label, Raúl Pérez Bodegas y Viñedos.
A nomadic, intuitive and deeply personal approach.
This page brings together his most important projects, his most influential labels and the wineries where his hand —or his vision— has left a lasting mark.
1. Raúl Pérez Bodegas y Viñedos
The mother winery · Bierzo, León, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei
His main project is not a traditional winery: it is a creative laboratory.
Here are born some of his best‑known wines, made with his own grapes or selected fruit from growers he trusts, always artisanally and in limited quantities.
The philosophy is radically simple: each variety and each parcel defines the wine.
Key labels within this universe:
- Ultreia (Bierzo)
- La Vizcaína (Bierzo)
- La Penitencia & El Pecado (Ribeira Sacra)
All under the creative umbrella of Raúl Pérez Bodegas y Viñedos.
2. Castro Candaz (Ribeira Sacra)
The Atlantic project with Rodrigo Méndez
In the Lucense subzone of Ribeira Sacra, Raúl Pérez and Rodrigo Méndez work together on a project that has become a benchmark.
Castro Candaz shows that two restless minds can create Burgundian‑style wines from Atlantic varieties and heroic viticulture.
According to the official winery, Castro Candaz was born as a joint project where the vineyard is the absolute priority — and the finesse of the wines proves it.
Wines for those who seek elegance, subtlety and landscape.
3. Author Projects
Labels where Raúl expresses pure intuition
Raúl Pérez doesn’t just make wine — he explores limits.
Many of his most iconic wines began as micro‑projects, small batches or collaborations that later became cult labels:
- Sketch (Galicia, with Rodrigo Méndez)
- La Clave (Bierzo)
- Aletier / Aultelier (minimal micro‑vinifications, free‑form style)
- El Pecado & La Penitencia (Ribeira Sacra — internationally acclaimed author wines)
- Carpetano (Madrid — a signature wine born from collaboration with Bodega Valquejigoso)
Difficult to classify, impossible not to love.
4. Collaborations & Consulting
Raúl’s imprint on other projects
In addition to his own wines, Raúl Pérez has left his technical mark on several major Spanish projects, contributing vision, precision and sensitivity:
- Venta la Vega (Almansa)
- Domaine Lupier (Navarra)
- Bodegas Estefanía (Bierzo) — where he left a defining early influence
Not his own projects, but places where his hand has been decisive.
5. Castro Ventosa (Bierzo)
The family winery: the origin of everything
Castro Ventosa is the Pérez family winery in Valtuille, where Raúl trained and took his first steps as a winemaker before striking out on his own.
A key piece for understanding his identity.
Why is Raúl Pérez so fascinating?
Because his wines are not just well made — they are alive.
They carry landscape, emotion, delicacy, tension, and a remarkable ability to evolve in the glass.
They are wines that do not seek uniformity, but truth.
And that makes them wines that connect deeply with whoever drinks them.