One hour drive north of Madrid, the world around you transforms into an open elevated rocky plateau, the Ribera del Duero river flows west in the valley, surrounded by mountains. Impressive medieval stone fortresses standing proudly on the top of the ridges are your silent guardians. Along the river, your eyes follow sheep returning slowly from a day of grazing, and you see the old vines growing in the dry land. You know that very soon you will taste some of Spain’s best red wines. Welcome to Ribera del Duero!

 

Location & Topography

Ribera del Duero is a wine region located in the province of Castilla Y Leon in the northern part of central Spain. This is part of the "inland heart" of Spain, a flat, rocky, elevated plateau, habitable thanks to the river that flows through to the Atlantic, and gave its name to the region. The same river continues to Portugal where it is known as Duoro, yet another famous wine region. The landscape is dramatic and rough, and the only softness comes from the water of the river, the sheep and the fields. 

 

Climate

The climate in Ribera del Duero is harsh and merciless. Summers are dry and hot, winters are freezing cold, and temperatures can vary drastically (up to 50 degrees difference) between day and night and between seasons. The river has a moderating effect on the climate, adding some humidity and slightly softening the sharp contrasts.  

 

Wars & Wine Growing Until 19th Century

It is here that, during medieval times, the Spanish catholic kings fought the invading Muslim Moors who flooded Spain from the south, until finally, persistence won, and Spain became entirely Catholic in the 15th century. 

 

Wine was produced in this area from Roman times, continued by the French monks during the medieval times, and almost disappeared with the invasion of the Moors. When the reign of Catholic kings was re-established in the 15th century, viniculture returned. Red wines were produced from the local grape that was simply called Tinta del Pais (“red of the land”), and these simple wines were consumed locally by the hard-working farmers living in the villages at the end of another long day. 

 

Birth of Unico

There was one exception in this valley of simple wines. In 1864 the bodega (“winery”) of Vega Sicilia was established, against all odds, in a remote, rocky part of Ribera del Duero, by an heir to the property, who brought Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec) because he wanted to produce brandy. His actions, unknowingly started a chain of events that changed the wine history of the region, although, to his regret, the brandy project did not take off. 

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In 1915 the then owners of the bodega decided to experiment and blend the local variety Tinta del Pais with their Bordeaux varieties,  using French techniques, including long aging in barrels. The resulting wine, Unico, was a sensation, one of the most iconic red wines in the world.

 

Wine Evolution

Vega Sicilia gradually became world-famous for its red wine, yet it remained unique in Ribera del Duero. It took 60 years until another winery striving for superior quality. Wine experts began to arrive to the region. The Spanish DO designation was awarded in 1982. The third winery targeting exceptional quality was established in the 1990s, forming together the “Golden Mile” of very expensive wines with a long prestigious allocation list. The undisputed king remains Unico, a wine that is served in all royal functions even today. 

 

Patience & Dedication

The success of these high-quality wines triggered an understanding of the exceptional qualities of the grape under suitable wine-making techniques bundled with an uncompromising passion for quality throughout the region. The growers gradually stopped selling grapes to merchants and established their own wineries instead. The wine history of the region forever changed. Symbolically, the grape variety became known as “Tinto Fino” (“fine red”). A modest name called by producers focusing on making a very fine wine indeed.  

 

Vines & Grapes

Most of the vines in the area are 30 - 50 years old, growing low, sometimes less than 1 meter high, with very deep roots as if the soil and the vines are holding onto each other, teaming up against the harsh weather conditions. Tinto Fino is a variety of Tempranillo, which adapted itself to the region and to the local extreme conditions. There are a few similarities, but today the grapes are too diverse to be referred to as one variety. The Tinto Fino grapes are small, thick-skinned and the yields are low. The extreme temperature differences and the altitude cause the grapes to retain the acidity and freshness, even when the grapes are ripe. 

 

Wine Production and Ageing

Ribera del Duero wines are powerful, masculine, complex and elegant, with a rich texture and very concentrated dark flavors of black coffee, cocoa, liquorice, spices, leather, vanilla, smoke, earth and minerals. Ageing is taken very seriously. The acidity allows the wines to age very well and the tannins are softened by the barrels. Some wineries will age the wine for a very long time, in barrels and in bottles, beyond the requirements of the classification, and will release the wine only when the producer believes it is the right time to drink them. This could take years to decades.  

 

Today there are approximately 300 bodegas, characterized by hard-working wine producers with a strive for excellence and quality. Typically, the wines follow the Spanish classification of Crianza (made from good quality grapes, minimum 2 years aging including at least 1 year in bottle, flavours of cherry jam, spices, earth, vanilla), Reserva (made only in vintages with very good grapes, minimum 3 years aging with at least one year in oak, full-body, intense flavors) and Gran Reserva (the top wines, made only when the quality of grapes is outstanding, aged at least 5 years, including at least 2 years in oak).

 

There are several bodegas that prefer to remain unbound by the classifications and create their own wines, with the same uncompromising passion for quality combined with modern techniques and with creativity, and there can be found some wines of exceptional quality, that are reasonably priced because they are not so well known (yet). 

 

There are also simple red wines called “Tinto Joven” (“young red”) that are drunk young and simple as well as white wines made from local Albillo grapes, both for local consumption. In addition, there are interesting rose wines made from Garnacha (Grenache). 

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