Collection: D.O. Ribera del Duero

D.O. Ribera del Duero is located in the middle of Spain, 100 km to the north of Madrid. Together with Rioja and Priorat this D.O. is considered one of Spain's top wine regions. Vineyards at an altitude of 700 to 850 metres, cold winters and hot summers, but also big temperature fluctuations between day and night, which allow the grapes to ripen slowly with excellent acidity levels. The Crianza/Reserva wines are totally of cellaring quality.

Ribera del Duero is blessed with a combination of terroir, microclimate and a native grape variety from which outstanding and complex red wines can be made. At this altitude, Tempranillo (also known as Tinta del País of Tinto Fino) develops refreshingly acidic grapes with thin skins, which make wines that can be enjoyed both young and as Gran Reservas.

After being awarded D.O. status in 1982, many vineyards were replanted and all types of bodegas, ranging from small family businesses to large cooperatives and wine estates, started investing in modern winemaking technology. At the same time, families who had previously sold their grape harvests to bodegas, established their own small wineries, while the Consejo Regulador encouraged research and development projects ranging from automatised harvest quality controls to pesticide alternatives. 

This newly acquired collective knowledge had an enormous effect on the quality of the wine, which is nowadays exported across the globe. A wine museum has been set up in the Castle of Peñafiel as well as a Centro de Interpretación del Vino (a museum dedicated exclusively to viticulture) in Aranda del Duero (Burgos).

© Photo: www.riberadelduero.es