Dido & Jurriaan

A few years ago, everything was very different. Jurriaan was the owner of a low-impact travel company to Southeast Asia, and Dido was on a research trip in Swartland for her master's degree in Cultural Anthropology. But actually the joint master plan was to have their own winery. Then, without further ado, they brought that plan forward: The two traveled the world, discovered a love for natural wine, and put down roots in northern Catalonia. The Vinyes Tortuga wines taste exactly as the two dreamed: exciting, deep and like home. Master plan: check!

Catalonia, Spain

Far from the discussion of becoming a separate state, Catalonia is home to an incredibly diverse (and very independent 😉) wine world. On the Mediterranean coast, the grapes ripen in a warm, Mediterranean climate. In the hills to the north, it is cooler, a fresh wind blows there and the climate is more subalpine. What does this mean for Catalonia's winemakers? An incredible range of wines can be produced here. Heavy red wines meet elegant Cavas and everything in between. Jurriaan and Dido are in the very north of the region, on the French border. The wine region there on the Costa Brava is called "Alt-Empordà". It used to have rather large production facilities of mediocre rosé, but today you'll find a beautiful variety of styles, often as cuvees, in this little corner in the middle of the Pyrenees. What a beautiful home for the Vinyes Tortuga wines!