Wine region
Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero: Tinto Fino at 720 to over 1,000 metres on the Duero, an extreme climate and dense, powerful reds aged in oak.
- Vineyard area
- more than 26,000 hectares, more than 300 wineries
- Main grape
- Tempranillo (here Tinto Fino), at least 75 per cent of a red wine; with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha
- Altitude
- 720 to just over 1,000 metres above sea level
- Climate
- continental and extreme: only about 450 mm of rain, from minus 20 to over 40 degrees
- Status
- Denominación de Origen since 1982
- Well-known names
- Vega Sicilia near Valbuena de Duero, Pesquera (founded 1972)
Ribera del Duero lies on the Castilian plateau on both sides of the river Duero, which flows on into Portugal as the Douro, the home of Port. The vineyards are spread across the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Segovia and Valladolid; most of the more than 100 wine villages are in Burgos. More than 26,000 hectares are farmed by several thousand growers, and there are more than 300 wineries. The area has been a Denominación de Origen since 1982, much younger than Rioja, although wine has been made here for centuries.
The vines stand between 720 and just over 1,000 metres above sea level, on clayey sands alternating with layers of limestone. The climate is continental and extreme: hot, dry summers, long, harsh winters, only about 450 millimetres of rain a year and temperatures ranging from minus 20 to more than 40 degrees. At the end of summer the nights cool sharply and the grapes ripen slowly and late. The berries are small with thick skins and yields are low and usually well below the 7,000 kilos per hectare permitted. As in Valais, where vines climb to about 1,150 metres at Visperterminen, altitude and dryness shape the character of the wines.
The main grape is Tempranillo, called Tinto Fino or Tinta del País here; it must make up at least 75 per cent of a red wine and supplies colour, aroma and body. It is completed with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Garnacha. White wine plays a marginal role; the main authorised white grape is Albillo Mayor. Among the best-known names are Vega Sicilia, near Valbuena de Duero, which has long planted Bordeaux varieties alongside Tinto Fino, and Pesquera, founded in 1972 and made from pure Tempranillo.
The ageing tiers resemble those of Rioja, with their own periods. A Crianza ages at least 24 months, at least 12 of them in oak; a Reserva 36 months, at least 12 in barrel; a Gran Reserva 60 months, at least 24 in barrel; the barrels hold no more than 330 litres. In the glass these wines are dark and dense, with blackberry, black cherry, spice, toasty notes from the barrel and firm tannins. Alongside these powerful classics, fresher wines with less oak from higher sites are now made. They suit grilled meat, lamb, game and mature hard cheese.