RIBERA DEL DUERO

Wines of Ribera del Duero

HISTORY

Precisely the Romans will leave traces of vine cultivation and winemaking in Ribera del Duero through works of art such as the Roman mosaic of more than 60 square meters in honor of the God Bacchus, considered the largest in the peninsula. This marvel was discovered by wine growers during the 1972 harvest and is considered a Historic-Artistic Site. Unfortunately, in 2011, the site was plundered and robbed, causing irrevocable damage to such a beautiful piece. Currently, a replica of the missing tesserae has been reproduced and can be visited in the Interpretation Center of Baños de Valdearados.

There are many monuments that include references to wine: bunches of grapes in church capitals, names of temples such as the Monastery of La Vid or patron saints such as the Virgen de las Viñas, of Aranda de Duero.

And of course, the multitude of subway cellars and wineries, present in most villages, such as Atauta, which has been recognized in 2020 with the 1st Prize for Best Practices in Historic and Ethnological Sites of Castilla y León, or Moradillo de Roa, which has already won the award for Best Wine Tourism Initiative in Spain and, more recently, the Europa Nostra Heritage Award.

Vineyards and wine have marked the landscape of this land, the personality of its people, heritage and culture. An inseparable bond to understand Ribera del Duero as a wine territory. The first wine references in the area date back 2,000 years in history: although there are no conclusive references, several historians and geographers such as Ptolemy relate in their works the wine activity of the Celtiberians and Vacceans of the Duero basin, when the Roman troops were preparing to conquer it.

Tierra, clima y suelo

The Denomination of Origin Ribera del Duero is located in the northern plateau, Burgos, Segovia, Soria and Valladolid accompany the Duero River on its journey, through a bond that unites more than 100 villages spread along a wine-growing strip of about 115 km. Time and the legacy of nature have endowed the whole area with an exceptional soil for vine growing. The plurality of the weather marks unpredictable contrasts that alter the normal course of the vineyards, giving them a character and strength that makes them unique.
The climate is Mediterranean with a continental character. With moderate to low average annual rainfall, dry summers and long, harsh winters, with marked temperature fluctuations throughout the seasons. It is precisely these oscillations that will help the grapes to develop a strong skin, capable of withstanding the inclement weather to protect the fruit until the harvest. The soils have silty or clayey sandy sediments, with alternating limestone and even calcareous layers. The riparian basin has undulations in its landscape, small hills eroded by the influence of the river, with altitudes ranging from 911 meters in the moors to the valleys that run along the river.

WINE ARCHITECTURE

Nowadays, most of the subway cellars are used for private or tourist purposes, and many of them can be visited, converted into other types of businesses such as wine shops, museums or even restaurants. However, there are still wineries that continue to produce their wine in these temples of viticulture. This is another city in the subsoil of the villas of the Douro for the enjoyment of the senses.

Avant-garde architecture

Wine, like architecture or design, is also an art form. That is why, in recent years, many wineries have expressed their concern in the innovation and modernization of their facilities, not only in the winemaking mechanisms, but also in the very image of their wineries. Contemporary works that combine the necessary functionality to work with the aesthetics of the building, becoming a true monument to wine.

Great architects have been responsible for the most outstanding works and in the Ribera del Duero Wine Route we can boast of having two of them: Bodegas Portia and Bodegas Protos.

Bodegas Portia is located in the village of Gumiel de Izán (Burgos), as the fourth generation of the Faustino Group. The architectural firm of Norman Foster has been responsible for the building, whose construction began in 2006. It is a winery in perfect harmony with the landscape, with a star-shaped floor plan, combining noble materials such as steel, glass and, of course, oak. It is a firm commitment to wine tourism that has led them to be positioned as one of the leading wineries of reference worldwide.

If we continue touring the Ribera del Duero, we will reach the town of Peñafiel (Valladolid) where at the foot of its castle awaits Bodegas Protos. Considered the first winery in the Ribera del Duero, Protos combines tradition with the avant-garde. On your visit, we will start with the network of subway galleries carved into the mountainside of the castle, wide tunnels in the rock that will take us to the new building designed by Sir Richard Rogers, as if it were a journey through time. Spacious rooms flooded with light, wrapped in glass and wood to preserve their beauty.

Arquitectura Tradicional

More than a thousand years of history guarantee the presence of our wines in Ribera del Duero. Since the time of the Vacceans and later with the Romans, winemaking has been one of the main agricultural activities in the area.

With the arrival of the Middle Ages and with the monasteries as the main promoters of winemaking, thanks to their knowledge and resources, the first subway cellars began to be dug in different towns and villages. Galleries drilled by the hand of man, many of them ornamented with ashlar stone and Arabic brick, and with a depth of between 9 and 14 meters approximately, which allowed a considerable increase in the production of wine and its export to other regions.

Ribera del Duero wine

In order to use the D.O. label, they are subjected to a rigorous qualification process by the Regulatory Council.

The types of wine covered by the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin are red, rosé and white. The traditional classification divides them into Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, but there are also Harvest wines, including Joven, Roble and other wines that decide not to use any traditional classification.

Red Wine

Young. Not aged in oak barrels.
Oak. With at least 3 months in oak barrels.
Aging. 24 months of ageing, of which at least 12 months in oak casks.
Reserva. 36 months of ageing, of which at least 12 months in oak barrels.
Gran Reserva. 60 months of ageing, of which at least 24 months in oak barrels.

Rosé and White Wine

Young. Not aged in oak barrels.
Oak. With at least 3 months in oak barrels.
Aging. 18 months of ageing, of which at least 6 months in oak casks.
Reserva. 24 months of ageing of which at least 6 months in oak barrels.
Gran Reserva. 48 months of ageing of which at least 6 months in oak barrels.

Grape varieties

The Ribera wines have a common denominator: the Tempranillo grape. Under the name of Tinta del País or Tinta Fina, a native fruit of the Ribera del Duero is known, which provides the colour, aroma and body to make our wines unique. Along with Tempranillo, the Regulatory Council allows other varieties: reds such as Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Garnacha Tinta or the only authorised white, Albillo or Blanca del País. There are six grape varieties for an exceptional and unmistakable flavour, which marks the quality in each bottle.

In Ribera there is a wine for everyone and for every occasion. The more than 900 brands that bear the Ribera del Duero seal are the image of 8,000 winegrowers and more than 300 wineries that are dedicated body and soul to the cultivation of the vine.

The Ribera del Duero D.O.

The Designation of Origin, as we know it today, arose from the initiative of a series of winegrowers and winemakers concerned with promoting the vineyards and the quality of Ribera del Duero wines.

The first Act recorded in the Control Board’s books dates back to 23 July 1980, when it was acting provisionally.

Two years later, on 21 July 1982, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food granted Ribera del Duero the Designation of Origin and approved its first Regulations.

This is the oldest and most important Designation of Origin in the Community of Castilla y León. In 2022 it will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a Regulatory Council. It is home to more than 300 wineries, many of which promote wine tourism in the area, offering visitors an incredible number of activities related to the cultivation of vines and winemaking, in addition to visits to wineries.

HARVESTS

Latest harvests

   2023  Very Good 2022  Very Good 2021  Excellent
  

Previous

2020  Excellent 2010  Excellent 2000  Very Good 1990  Good
2019  Excellent 2009  Excellent 1999  Excellent 1989  Excellent
2018  Very Good 2008  Very Good 1998  Very Good 1988  Good
2017  Very Good 2007  Muy Good 1997  Good 1987  Good
2016  Very Good 2006  Good 1996  Excellent 1986  Excellent
2015  Excellent 2005  Muy Good 1995  Excellent 1985  Very Good
2014  Very Good 2004  Excellent 1994  Very Good 1984  Fair
2013  Good 2003  Very Good 1993  Fair 1983  Very Good
2012  Very Good 2002  Very Good 1992  Good 1982  Very Good
2011  Excellent 2001  Excellent 1991  Very Good  

WINERIES

Among the many wineries that exist in this land, we present below information about the wineries belonging to the Ribera del Duero Wine Route.

All of them have decided to open their doors and showcase the efforts of many generations of winegrowers, providing a whole world of creative activities so that wine tourism lovers can enjoy their trip along the Ribera del Duero Wine Route.

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