Ortega is a white grape that was created in Germany in 1948 by Hans Breider. It is a crossing of the two German grapes
Muller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe. The grape was named after Spanish poet and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset, but why seems to be a mystery.
The Ortega is used for white wine, but it is also a table grape. It ripens early, is not sensitive to frost, and can make superior wine even after a fairly cold summer, which makes it suitable for the English climate. It reaches quite high must weights (levels of sugar) which means it can produce higher alcohol levels.
Ortega wines are normally not very acidic. They are full-flavoured and fruity/peachy/flowery and often used to produce sweet wines or to enhance other grapes, like Riesling, that are lower in sugar and higher in acid. Ortega wines improve by cellaring.
The main problem with this grape is its susceptability to fungal diseases, rot and coulure, the latter being a problem which causes the berries to fall off soon after flowering.
