DOCa Rioja elects first female president
The election of Raquel Pérez Cuevas comes as Rioja celebrates a centurium as a DOCa. But the region is facing economic headwinds, with the new president tasked with steering its 600 wineries to success.
Raquel Pérez Cuevas has been elected as the first female president of DOCa Rioja’s Regulatory Council, scoring 99% of votes.
The appointment of Cuevas, who is also CEO of Bodegas Ontañón Familia and president of Grupo Rioja, coincides with Rioja’s hundred-year anniversary as a DOCa.
Pérez Cuevas, who is the daughter of Ontañón founder Gabriel Pérez Cuevas, heralds from a four-generation lineage of winemaking from the village of Quel in Rioja Oriental. She said: “It’s an honour to be the first female president of the Regulatory Council – although I won’t be the only one, as women are becoming ever more present in [the wine industry].”
Facing challenges
Matt Hedges, president of Vino Del Sol, added: “All of us at Vino del Sol are honoured to represent the extraordinary wines of Bodegas Ontañón Familia, and proud of Raquel and all her achievements.”
During her four-year term as president, Pérez Cuevas has pledged to rally the area’s 13,000 growers and nearly 600 wineries to continue making “the best wines in the world”.
The Rioja region is currently battling significant challenges, with a drop in sales and overproduction leading to the price of grapes and bottles dropping over the past few vintages.
The DOCa banned new vineyard plantings for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and also limited production yields to 90% of the official maximum for 2023 and 2024.
Balancing concerns
Last summer, the region approved the distillation of 30m litres of surplus wine, and in January this year it introduced a voluntary incentive for winegrowers to reduce their vineyards by 5% as part of its recovery plan, targeting more vigorous red varieties less than 30 years old.
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Pérez Cuevas will work with the board to balance environmental concerns with tourism, the promotion of digitalisation and engaging future generations.
Bodegas Ontañón Familia, is a family-owned, sustainable winery located in the heart of Rioja, cultivating vineyard land south of the Ebro River. Today its properties total more than 800 hectares, including the elevated slopes of Sierra Yerga, and properties in Rueda, and Ribera del Duero.
‘Follow your passion, build knowledge’
In March, the drinks business spoke to women in the wine sector about their journeys and challenges in the trade.
Offering advice to women hoping to break into the industry, Praisy Dlamini, CEO and head winemaker at South African producer Amandla, said: “I would encourage her to follow her passion, as the wine industry is diverse.
“It’s essential to seek education and training to build a solid foundation of knowledge. Finding mentorship and dedicating herself to her craft will also be crucial.”
Room for improvement
And while women have come a long way in the wine sector, there’s still room for growth in creating a truly inclusive environment, according to Bibendum’s head of fine wine, Valeria Rodriguez.
Speaking to db, she said: “We need to see more women in leadership roles within wineries, importers, distributors, and wine media.
“Women bring diverse perspectives, and this is particularly important as more and more women are now engaging with wine, not just as consumers, but as critics, educators, winemakers, and sommeliers.”
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