Ribera del Duero
Tempranillo at altitude, on Spain's high central plateau.
Ribera del Duero follows the Duero — the same river that becomes Portugal's Douro — across the high plateau of Castilla y León. Its vineyards sit at around 750 to 900 metres and above, among the highest in Europe, where hot summer days can be followed by nights up to 20°C cooler. That swing gives the local Tempranillo, called Tinto Fino or Tinta del País, thick skins, deep colour and firm structure. Winemaking here is centuries old, but Ribera del Duero became an official DO only in 1982 — and quickly became Rioja's great rival.
Grapes grown here 4
What the region makes
The Spanish ageing ladder. A Crianza spends at least two years ageing, one of them in oak.
Dense, dark-fruited and firm: blackberry, liquorice, toasty oak.
Worth knowing
The Duero becomes the Douro when it crosses into Portugal — one river, two great wine regions.
Ribera del Duero was granted DO status in 1982.
Try this region if you like dense, structured reds with dark fruit.
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