Almudena Alberca MW is the new joint Regional Chair for Spain alongside Ferran Centelles & Pierre Mansour at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025.
Almudena Alberca MW
Almudena is the first woman in Spain to achieve the title of master of wine.
After graduating in agriculture engineering, she pursued further studies, earning a degree in oenology and a master’s in viticulture. Her first harvest was in New Zealand at Vidal Estate, part of the Villa Maria group. Since then, she has traveled extensively through wine-producing regions worldwide.
Almudena began her career producing boutique wines at Viñas de Cenit in Zamora, Spain, progressing from assistant winemaker to winery manager. She later worked at Dominio de Atauta in Ribera del Duero, where she played a key role in shaping the winery’s style and achieving international success. During this time, she was also the Spanish specialist for AvivaVino in New York, selecting and blending wines for the market.
From 2015 to 2024, she played a pivotal role at Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos, serving as technical director, a management committee member and a board director. She oversaw 400 hectares of vineyards and five wineries across Northern Spain, including Bodegas Cosme Palacio (Rioja), Viña Mayor (Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Toro), while leading innovative projects in Rías Baixas and Valdeorras. Over nine years, she successfully elevated wine quality, introduced new wine styles such as Secreto and Aeronauta and developed a global biodiversity project as part of a long-term sustainability initiative.
Currently, Almudena works as a consultant across Spain. She is also an educator, school director at the Escuela de Vino y Gastronomía in Valladolid and contributes as a wine writer for publications such as Sobremesa.
Almudena first joined the DWWA as a judge in 2019 and has been a Senior Judge on Spain panels for the last few years.
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