Castilla y Leon information
Designation of Origin Ribera del Duero
The most important Red grapes: Tempranillo
Others Red grapes: Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha Tinta
White grapes: Albillo
Types of wine Rosé, young red, Crianza red, Reserva and Gran Reserva reds.
Ribera del Duero is the main driving force of wine making in Castilla y León. The longevity of its red wines, their complex tannic structure, their strong fruit, and the contribution of the tempranillo grape variety have all provided foundations on which the new wines of La Ribera have been built. Although rosé wines, young reds and reds briefly aged in oak are all produced on a comparatively small scale, the wine categories where Ribera del Duero really comes into its own are the reds designated as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.
This wine growing and producing area gives rise to an extraordinary
mosaic of bodegas which make wines that express the characteristics
of La Ribera's particular combination of land and vines. The greatest
virtue of La Ribera reds is their long life - Crianza and Reserva
wines which can be kept for between six and ten years. In exceptional
years, they can be cellared for much longer.
The Denominación de Origen covers an area at the convergence of
the four provinces of Valladolid, Burgos, Segovia and Soria.