Jorge Olivera
Aragon, Spain
Based in Coscojuela de Sobrarbe (province of Huesca, in Aragon), on the foothills of up on the Pyrenees in Northern Spain, Jorge Olivera is one of those xspecial winemakers who cultivate both the vines and the memory of a territory. In this area of Sobrarbe, where vineyards and winemaking practices have almost completely disappeared due to rural exodus, he has taken it upon himself to become steward of both vines and wine, representing the remote region.
Jorge replants and reactivates plots with a simple idea: to make wine where there was none before. He operates outside industrial logic and focuses on the methodology of past vignerons. His project started modestly, with his first vinifications in 2011 for a close circle of friends, before gaining momentum over the years outside of the Sobrarbe.
Over approximately 7 hectares, Jorge Olivera works with organic viticulture, using biodynamic practices and a strategy of permanent cover cropping, manual harvesting, and minimal intervention. He relies on grape varieties rooted in the region, particularly Moristel, Parraleta, and Garnacha for reds, as well as Macabeo (and also Garnacha for whites depending on the plots) plus some Syrah and Chardonnay. In the cellar, he has set up a small winery designed for stable aging conditions, and he operates with a very clear principle: let the grape make the wine, without any embellishment. Wines represent a new generation of natural wines that, despite being made without sulfites or additives, show remarkable energy, freshness, and precision while remaining clean and focused.
