Ribera del Duero region- wineries, wines, and itineraries
In this section, we will cover the wine region of Ribera del Duero. Located 2 hours north of Madrid, Ribera del Duero offers fantastic opportunities to enjoy wine tourism.
Geography, climate and terroir in Ribera del Duero
The wine region of Ribera del Duero is located in Castilla Leon (old Castilla). The wine region spreads in 4 different provinces, though most of the vineyards are located in Burgos, near the town of Aranda de Duero. The 4 provinces are Valladolid (capital of Castilla Leon), Burgos, Soria, and Segovia. Burgos holds most of the vineyard, followed by Valladolid. Both Soria and Segovia hold a small proportion of total vineyard surface.
There are 2 main factors that explain why Ribera del Duero produces such fantastic red wines.
Soil structure is the first one. Medieval monks were not aware of the geology behind the secret for local wines, but they planted grapes in the monasteries along the river Duero. Recent analyses have outlined a soil perfect for red wine growing: the bedrock is similar to the ones found in the best areas of Priorat or in the west of the Duoro port Valley. Above the bedrock lies a carbonate sub-soil rich in gypsum and at the high-level active chalk is present.
The second factor is the altitude. Vines are planted between 750 and 850 meters of height. The vineyards occupy both sides of the Duero River. At this height, summers temperatures get as high as 40°C during the day (104°F) but they can sharply fall at night by 25°C or more. This dramatic change in temperature is actually the best thing that can happen to the local grapes. The plants "sleep at night" when temperatures drop. The plants do not consume nutrients from the soil at night. But when the daylight arrives those nutrients remain intact and the plant passes them to the grapes!
Wines produced in Ribera del Duero wine region
Due to the terroir characteristics that are shown above, the wines from Ribera del Duero have a bold and bright character. Nearly everything produced in the region is red wine, though some rosé wine is produced and even some small amounts of white wine, something that was not allowed in the past. Quality sells and prices of Ribera del Duero wines climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. Much more wine is produced today since lots of wineries of all sizes looked at Ribera del Duero to buy and plant vineyards. You can learn more about the wines from Ribera del Duero in the section in this link.
History of the Ribera del Duero wine region
The Phoenicians introduced wine to the region over 1000 years ago. From there, the roman empire recognized the prime conditions of the region for winemaking and established vineyards there to provide wine for their troops, and there is evidence of their influence across the region. After the Romans, the catholic church took over the winemaking in Ribera. This explains why several important wineries in Ribera are housed in monasteries and churches.
Even though the region has been producing wine for thousands of years, only recently was it recognized with its own appellation. After several wineries of the region shocked the industry with some excellent wines, in 1975, the region was given the appellation of Ribera del Duero and the brand started to garner international recognition. Learn in this link many more facts about the history of Ribera del Duero wines.
Ribera del Duero - wine tourism and itineraries
Here you will find the best spots to visit while you are in Ribera wine country and the best routes to get from one place to the next, so you get the most out of your trip to one of Spain’s top wine regions.
Ribera is featured so heavily because it is one of Spain’s top wine regions It is considered second only to Rioja, and an amazing slice of Spain, not everyone is familiar with. It is a region primarily known for its Red wines traditionally made to accompany large luscious meals of roasted meats, for which the area is also famous.
The name of the wine region, “Ribera del Duero”, means Duero’s riverside as the vineyards follow the course of this river. The Duero River is a very important landmark in the Iberian Peninsula. It has always been an important commercial route and it served as a natural border between Spain and Portugal (this is why its coast is lined with castles and monasteries). It is also the life source of many different wine regions, 3 of which in particular enjoy worldwide fame: as we have mentioned, Ribera de Duero, Porto in Portugal, famous for its sweet port wine and Rueda, renowned for its white wine production. Being so close to the riverside makes the region very appealing from a tourism perspective. Castles and monasteries can be found in the area along with many wineries. You can find in this article the best ideas to build your itinerary in Ribera del Duero.
Despite the region is not very large, its proximity to Madrid and Valladolid has implied an important growth in local hotels of all sorts, from luxurious hotels with spas to small family-run boutique hotels. Find here the best proposals to stay in Ribera del Duero.
Ribera del Duero region - Wine tours
Wineries in Ribera del Duero are spread in a long region from Valladolid to Aranda de Duero and further to the east. This implies lots of driving if you want to enjoy more than one winery during your stay. There are local taxis from Valladolid, Aranda de Duero, and Peñafiel but drivers do not speak English and are no wine experts. Besides this, the price of taxis gets as high as wine tours with expert guides, winery tickets, tastings and meals included.
In this section, you can find the most complete list of available tours in Ribera del Duero.
Ribera del Duero region - Video