It was created in 1948 by Hans Breider at the Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Wein-, Obst- und Gartenbau in Würzburg and was released with varietal protection in 1981.

[2] Breider chose to name the variety in honour of the Spanish poet and philosopher José Ortega y Gasset.

Ortega ripens early, is not sensitive to frost and reaches quite high must weights, typically 20 degrees Oechsle higher than Müller-Thurgau.

Ortega wines have aromas of Muscat and peach and are high in extract.

In 2016, there were 475 hectares (1,170 acres) of Ortega in Germany, with a decreasing tendency.