Jorge Olivera NEGIRO 2023

JORGE OLIVERA NEGIRO 2023

Jorge Olivera is a winemaker from Aragon with ties to the small village of Coscojuela de Sobrarbe, in the province of Huesca. He has dedicated his life to reviving the winemaking tradition of this practically forgotten area. Although born in Barbastro, he has always maintained a strong family and emotional connection to Coscojuela, a place that, until the mid-20th century, boasted significant winemaking activity and supplied wine to many villages in the Huesca Pyrenees. However, its vineyards were gradually abandoned due to rural exodus and economic changes.

His journey in the world of wine began in 2009, when he decided to plant his first vines on family land, initially as a personal and almost domestic project that he combined with his profession as a mechanical engineer. In 2011, he produced his first small harvest for his own consumption, but he soon realized that if he wanted to take the next step, he needed to build a winery adapted to legal and health requirements.

In 2021, with his father's help, he built a small, semi-subterranean winery in Coscojuela, handcrafted to maintain naturally stable temperatures. That same year, he launched his first bottles, beginning a new chapter as a professional winemaker. From then on, he definitively left his job as an engineer to dedicate himself entirely to the vineyard, expanding his acreage by leasing old plots and working them all according to organic and minimal-intervention principles.

His philosophy is based on respect for the environment, the recovery of local grape varieties, and minimal-intervention winemaking, seeking fresh, honest wines deeply connected to the Sobrarbe landscape. With very limited production in his first vintages and gradual growth since 2023, his wines have become a cult favorite among enthusiasts and sommeliers worldwide, becoming an example of how it is possible to revitalize almost vanished wine-growing regions through a personal, coherent project deeply rooted in the memory of the land.

2023 Vintage: It was a demanding but high-quality year, with fresh and fruity young wines, and wines with great acidity and power, showcasing the vines' resilience to a hot summer and autumn rains, as well as the appearance of the Asian hornet, resulting in a harvest of unique character and great aging potential.

Vineyard: They cultivate 7 hectares of organic vineyards using biodynamic practices. Permanent cover crops are maintained in all producing vineyards. The main grape varieties they work with are Moristel, Parraleta, and Garnacha for red grapes, and Macabeo and Garnacha for white grapes. They also have some Syrah vineyards under lease and some Chardonnay vineyards they own.

Negiro 2023, which means Origin backwards, is made with 70% Moristel and 30% Garnacha Tinta from small plots worked manually and under minimal intervention criteria, with old and young vines on silty soils of calcareous origin. Winemaking: The grapes are harvested manually, always seeking a natural balance, and the winemaking process is geared towards respecting the fruit's character as much as possible. Complete destemming with spontaneous fermentations and minimal intervention in the winemaking process. After fermentation, the wine is aged for approximately one year in 500-liter Stockinger oak barrels. Bottled without chemical additives or sulfites. The wine is unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: A fresh and light red wine, bright red in color and medium in depth, with a very expressive nose revealing wild red berries, raspberry, and cherry, accompanied by herbaceous notes, subtle hints of undergrowth, and a mineral background reminiscent of wet stone. On the palate, it is juicy and lively, with a vibrant acidity that provides energy, fine and well-integrated tannins, and a fluid mouthfeel, more focused on elegance and drinkability than power, leaving a clean, slightly spicy finish with a very pleasant touch of bitterness.

Production: 5,100 bottles.

Best before: 2025-2032. 12% ABV.

Pairing: Pairs especially well with simple and flavorful dishes: artisanal cured meats, mild pâtés, white meats, chicken or rabbit, mountain rice dishes, light stews, grilled vegetables, and soft or semi-cured cheeses. It also works very well with traditional northern Spanish cuisine, such as migas (a breadcrumb dish), sautéed mushrooms, or mild stews, as its freshness balances the richness and enhances the flavors without overpowering them.