Ribera del Duero

Coordinates: 41°41′N 3°41′W / 41.683°N 3.683°W / 41.683; -3.683
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

41°41′N 3°41′W / 41.683°N 3.683°W / 41.683; -3.683

For the comarca, see Ribera del Duero (comarca).
Ribera del Duero DOP
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Year established1982
CountrySpain
Size of planted vineyards22,395 hectares (55,339 acres)
Wine produced915,978 hectolitres
CommentsData for 2016 / 2017

Ribera del Duero is a Spanish

Duero river
.

The region is characterised by a largely flat, rocky terrain and is centred on the town of

Roa de Duero
to the west, where the regional regulatory council or Consejo Regulador for the denominación is based.

Ribera del Duero was named Wine Region of the Year 2012 by

Wine Enthusiast Magazine.[2]

History

Wine has been produced in the region for thousands of years, but

Bacchus, the god of wine that was unearthed relatively recently at Baños de Valdearados
.

Official seal of the Ribera del Duero denominación de origen (DO)

The denominación de origen (D.O.) of Ribera del Duero was founded on 21 July 1982 by an organization of wine producers and growers who were determined to promote the quality of their wines and enforce regulatory standards.

denominación de origen calificada (DOCa) status in 2008 proved to be unfounded and, as at 2011, it remains a DO and has no plans to change.[6]

Ribero del Duero wines are currently enjoying greater popularity, thanks largely to the considerable interest shown in the area by experienced growers from other regions.

Geography

A 2007 Ribera del Duero from Pesquera.

The Ribera del Duero is located on the extensive, elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. It occupies the southern plains of the

Rueda regions before traversing the famous Portuguese growing areas of Douro and Porto, where it drains into the Atlantic Ocean.[7]

Geologically, tertiary sediments, consisting of gently lenticular layers of silty or clayey sand, alternate with layers of limestone, marl and chalky concretions. The Duero valley, formed during the Miocene period, has a flat, rocky, gently undulating terrain, ranging from 911 metres (2,989 ft) down to 750 metres (2,460 ft) above sea level.[8] The national highway N122 follows the river valley.

The Ribera del Duero has moderate to low rainfall (450 millimetres (18 in) per year) and is exposed to quite extreme climatic conditions; long, dry summers with temperatures of up to 40 °C (104 °F) are followed by hard winters during which temperatures often come close to freezing temperatures.

Mediterranean, with more than 2,400 hours of annual sunlight.[10]

Vineyards occupy around 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi) of the region, most of which are situated in the province of Burgos, with around 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) in Valladolid and 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi) in Soria.[11]

Grapes

Wines produced in the Ribera del Duero DO derive almost exclusively from red grapes. The vast majority of production is dedicated to

Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo[a]), the dominant red varietal in the northern half of the Spanish peninsula. Tinto Fino is often, but not always, complemented with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot, although the famous Tinto Pesquera, grown by Alejandro Fernández in Pesquera de Duero, is a 100% Tempranillo varietal wine. The introduction of Pesquera's 100% Tinto Fino wine was, at the time, somewhat controversial, as the considered benchmark Vega Sicilia
wines traditionally blended Tinto Fino with such Bordeaux varietals as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.

The DOP's authorized red grapes are: Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Garnacha Tinta. The Albillo grape is the only authorized white variety grown, for white wines that are mostly destined for local consumption.

Main Wineries

Bodegas Casajús, in Quintana del Pidio
.

There are more than 300 wineries that belong to the D.O., some of them are:[12]

Production

Wine bottles from three well-known bodegas in Ribera del Duero: Alion, Vega Sicilia (here its second wine, Valbuena 5°) and Pesquera

There are other similarities between Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Whereas the wines are quite distinctive as a result of significant differences in

vinification
procedures, producing intense, extremely long-lived wines emanating from largely limestone soils. Wines are classified as much for their longevity as their grape quality, and Ribera del Duero produces some extremely well-aging wines. The aging requirements for Ribera del Duero are the same used in Rioja. Wines labelled as "Crianza" must age two years with 12 months in oak. "Reserva" wines must be aged at least three years with at least 12 months in oak. The "Gran Reserva" labelled wines must spend 5 years aging prior to release, two being in oak.

The town of

Golden Mile
.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Local growers consider Tinto Fino to be a genetic mutation of Rioja's Tempranillo, although there is no hard evidence for this at present.

References

  1. Cigales (DO)
    , Valles de Benavente (VCPRD) and Valtiendas (VCPRD) regions, as well as Ribera del Duero
  2. ^ "Wine Region of the year 2012. Wine Region of the year 2012". winemag.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  3. ^ "Vintage Spain Wine tours. Destinations and wine regions". Vintagespain.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  4. ^ "History of Ribera del Duero". drinkriberawine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-04.
  5. ^ DrinkRiberaWine.com: History Archived 2009-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on October 7, 2009
  6. ^ Decanter.com March 29, 2007: Ribera del Duero awaits appellation upgrade
  7. ^ Antonello Biancalana - ProMIND software development - DiWineTaste. "Ribera del Duero". DiWineTaste. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  8. ^ "Ribera del Duero". Riberadelduero.es. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  9. ^ institutt, NRK og Meteorologisk. "Weather statistics for Villanubla". yr.no. Retrieved 2017-07-05.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Peter J. Watzka, Ritz Carlton. "Ribera Del Duero - Spanish Wine Region - Wine Tours Spain". Cellartours.com. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  11. ^ [1] Archived September 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Bodegas". riberadelduero.es. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2020-03-31.

External links

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