Almudena Alberca is the first woman in Spain to achieve the title of Master of Wine. After graduating in agriculture engineering, she continued her studies gaining a degree in oenology and a master in viticulture. Her first harvest was in New Zealand at Vidal Estate, part of the Villa Maria group. Since then she has travelled extensively through wine producing regions worldwide. She joined the Decanter World Wine Awards as a judge in 2019.

Almudena began her career producing boutique wines in Viñas de Cenit, in Zamora, Spain, where she went from assistant winemaker to managing the entire winery. She worked at Dominio de Atauta in Ribera del Duero where she played an integral role in shaping their wine styles and achieving international success. During this time, she was also the Spanish specialist for importer AvivaVino in New York, selecting and blending wines for this market.

Almudena has been the technical director at Viña Mayor since 2015, one of Spain’s large-volume players in Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Toro. She is also responsible for developing new brands and wines in regions like Rías Baixas and Valdeorras and is involved with PR, marketing and sales both in Spain and abroad.