After 25 years as Chief Winemaker at Bodegas Campo Viejo, Elena Adell concludes her exceptional career with the company and welcomes Ignacio Lopez.
Bodegas Campo Viejo has always sought the perfect harmony between winemaking, art, architecture and sustainability, and its winemaking team is a true embodiment of professionalism and passion for their craft, an environment that allows them to experiment and apply cutting-edge techniques and modern twists to traditional winemaking, all with the aim of capturing the diversity of the Rioja region and creating contemporary expressions of its wines.
An example of this is the work of Elena Adell, who since 1998 has been the Chief Winemaker at Bodegas Campo Viejo, and all wineries of the Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain group.
Elena leaves a magnificent legacy behind as part of the Bodegas Campo Viejo story, both as a person and as a professional. She won various awards throughout her career, attesting to her importance and influence both within the company and on the world wine scene. Evidence of this is her nomination as “Personality of the Year” in the seventh edition of the International Wine Challenge Merchant Awards Spain, as well as being named one of the most influential people in the international wine sector by Decanter Magazine.
Over the course of these 25 years, Campo Viejo has undergone remarkable global expansion to become recognized as the #1 Rioja brand in the world and one of the world’s leading producers of Rioja wine.
Now, with a new and shared vision, Ignacio López has taken over the role of Chief Winemaker at Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain. In his role at Campo Viejo, he will continue to write new chapters in the brand’s story, applying his own experience and innovative philosophy.
Ignacio joins an extraordinary team of professionals, made up of winemakers Irene Pérez, Elena Suárez and Nagore Cobo, with whom he will continue to work to consolidate Campo Viejo’s commitment, and Elena’s legacy, to creating contemporary expressions of Rioja that can be enjoyed around the world.
“What I enjoy most about winemaking is working with nature: being able to bottle a landscape. And being able to bring joy to every celebration”, López said, confirming what promises to be a great era for Campo Viejo and the PRW Spain brands under his positive and always innovative approach.
The passion that Ignacio instils in the creation of his wines started to take shape when he first began his oenology studies in Mendoza, Argentina, working as a winery operator and assistant winemaker across various wineries. In 2004, he joined Pernod Ricard Argentina, where he has held various positions, most recently as Chief Winemaker Etchart Wines, alongside winemaking roles at Graffigna and across different regions in Argentina.
He’s made vintages in California (Kenwood) and Australia (Barossa), but has also played an important role in winemaking innovation. All of these has been achieved with a clear focus on making wines with a strong sense of origin, searching for, testing and researching vineyards in unique locations that result in wines with great personality, capable of telling the story of the terroir in which they were born. This search has led López through vineyards cultivated in valleys as diverse and spectacular as the Calchaquíes.
On joining Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain, and as Chief Winemaker at Campo Viejo, he will be working to reinforce the brand’s progressive philosophy, focusing on sustainability and experimentation with cutting edge techniques to combine the quality and diversity of Rioja with a contemporary style that brings versatility and passion to palates all over the world.
About Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain is a prestigious Spanish wine producer with a global reputation. Its wines are exported to more than 60 countries. Its path is marked by the production of quality wines, commitment to its people, research, innovation, responsible consumption,
and respect for the environment. Its portfolio features renowned brands including Campo Viejo, Azpilicueta, Alcorta, Ysios, and Tarsus.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain is part of the Pernod Ricard Group, the world’s No. 2 wine and spirits producer and the fourth-largest wine
trader in the world. Since 2010, it has been part of Pernod Ricard Winemakers, the Pernod Ricard Group’s specialist producer and distributor of quality wines. With one of the most diverse portfolios of premium wines, its brands span four continents, including Jacob’s Creek and St
Hugo’s in Australia; Brancott Estate, Stoneleigh and Church Road in New Zealand; Kenwood Vineyards in the US, as well as all the wines of
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain.
