A unique wine does not arise from chance. A wine with soul is the consequence of the land and climate, of the rigorous and patient effort of viticulturists and winemakers. Its preparation is achieved without haste or shortcuts. Only in this way is it possible to achieve an exceptional result.
Ribera del Duero has a soil and climate of extraordinary characteristics on which a superb quality grape: small in size, thick skin and perfect, slow and late ripening. This makes it one of the most important wine regions in Spain and the world, due to its high quality standards, the tradition that supports them and the experience of more than 2,500 years making wine.
Currently, more than 300 wineries with their more than 2,300 brands carry the seal Denomination of Origin (DO) Ribera del Duero, which arose after the initiative of a series of viticulturists and winemakers concerned with promoting the vineyards and safeguarding the quality of the wines of this area.
Its wines are grouped into reds, from young people with a high fruit load and good mouthfeel, to elegant and powerful aging wines (Crianza, Cosechas, Reservas and Grandes Reservas), which stand out for their aromatic complexity, power and balance on the palate. On pink, fruity and refreshing. AND whitesYoung, fresh, fruity wines, with good acidity, which provide more complex aromas when aging in barrels and bottles.
The responsibility of maintaining and improving standards leads this great wine-growing region to carefully follow the traditional processes that are so admirable result have given over generations, but also to look to the future, embracing technology more innovative to be at the forefront.
Tasting of a Ribera del Duero wine
Each bottle of Ribera del Duero is exclusive. Its interior houses an inimitable wine that has passed rigorous controls before reaching consumers. The tasting of a wine from this unique region is divided into 3 phases:
1. Visual: analyze the colors of the wine, preferably on a white background.
2. Smell: it is achieved with the glass still, then the glass is moved in a circular way, this helps to multiply the aromatic load and all the aromas in the still glass are easier to identify and appreciate.
3. Gustatory: the wine is tasted and the fruit, acidity and all these nuances that were previously perceived on the nose are tasted; congruence and balance in the nose and mouth.
Back label qualities
About 8,000 winegrowers and more than 300 winemakers work 23,360 hectares, divided into 60,219 plots distributed in 118 population units in Burgos, Segovia, Soria and Valladolid.
They are low productions and enormously pampered. An intense work of pruning and thinning is carried out, seeking a low yield from the vineyard, for the sake of a grape of excellent quality. Thus, in the last 10 years they have produced an average of 4,380 kilos per hectare, well below the 7,000 that the regulations allow.
23% of the vineyards are over 50 years old. 10%, 80 years. 80% of the harvest is by hand. All are ideal figures to obtain a high quality wine.
The Regulatory Council of the Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin endorses with its seal and a numbered back label the authenticity and quality of the wines. These marks allow to guarantee, in the safest and most reliable way, its production and commercialization.
Unique and unforgeable, each back label of the Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin provides a series of security measures that make illicit reproduction of it practically impossible.
There are four labels differentiated by a color code for each type of aging. The wines are distinguished in:
Reds, minimum aging of 24 months. The time in oak barrels is 12 months. Rosé, clarets and whites, minimum aging of 18 months. The time in oak barrels is 6 months.
Reds, minimum aging of 36 months. The time in oak barrels is 12 months and the rest of the time in the bottle.
Rosé, clarets and whites, minimum aging of 24 months. The time in oak barrels is 6 months and the rest of the time in the bottle.
Reds, minimum aging of 60 months. The time in oak barrels is 24 months.
Rosé, clarets and whites, minimum aging of 48 months. The time in oak barrels is 6 months.
Young: Without barrel.
Oak barrel: 3 months in oak barrels.
Other wines: They do not adhere to the parameters of traditional mentions.
There is a Ribera del Duero wine for all tastes and occasions, we invite you to discover which one is your favorite.