Atop the hill overlooking the village of Valtuille de Abajo lies the ancient Roman fortification of the Castro Ventosa- the Castle of the Winds. Since 1752, the Perez family has owned and farmed vineyards around the ancient ruin, and has taken its name for their vineyard domain. With about 195 acres under cultivation, the Perez family is the most important grower and winemaker in the region. While the wines have been spectacular for generations, since 2018 the winemaking has been largely under the guidance of Raul’s son Gabriel, whose deft winemaking has resulted in wines of even greater finesse, delicacy and brilliance.

The Bierzo Denominacion de Origen (DO) was first established in 1989 with revisions in 2011 and significant further revisions approved in 2019. The district, located in northwest Spain, sits in a unique intermontane basin at high elevations in a highly localized climate transitional between the coastal temperate/humid climate and the continental drier zone. Diurnal and seasonal temperature variation is quite high. The DO rests on soils of decomposed sedimentary rocks with a relatively low pH. The DO contains about 13,000 acres of vineyard, planted to about half red and half white, and ownership is parceled out across some 5,000 individual growers. Because of the fragmented nature of the holdings, most fruit is sold to cooperatives.