Alberto Orte is a force to be reckoned with, producing truly phenomenal and ambitious wines that have firmly established him as one of the most talented up and comers of the next generation of Spanish winemakers.
In 1999, at the young age of 24, Alberto co-founded Ole Imports, a now much-awarded US-based wine importer and distributor, with Alberto taking care of selecting wines in Spain. In 2003, he and his business partner decided to establish another company, Vinos Atlantico, producing wine from indigenous varieties and exceptional old vine, high elevation sites across a number of various regions of Spain. Alberto Orte's label is a division of this very brand, focusing solely on wines farmed, vinified and bottled by Alberto, from start to finish.
Today, Alberto owns 16 hectares of vines in Jerez, which he farms organically and regeneratively, experimenting with some principles of biodynamics too. Instead of resorting to commercial plants as is common in Jerez, with 90% of plantings to them, and convinced that the future depends on not losing sight of the past, Alberto opted to plant 22 traditional and historical regional varieties, 15 white, and 7 red. It's his tireless week in reviving nearly extinct local varieites like Tintilla and Vijiriega that Alberto is most well-respected and known for. In Jerez alone, he has identified 200+ old clones of Palomino and 22 forgotten varieties.
Alberto believes that low yields, balanced soils, and top-quality raw materials are three fundamental factors to creating terroir-reflective and balanced wines. In the cellar, his work is vineyard specific, and all decisions are taken on the site's climate, soil type and the variety. However, his overarching principles always remain the same. “My objective is to craft wines of complexity, wines that are balanced and elegant,” he says. “Wines that are drinkable upon bottling but also ageworthy. I do not seek power, exuberance or forcefulness.”
