In the heart of northern Spain lies the Ribera del Duero wine region, a wine-growing region that covers approximately 20,000 hectares of land. It is located completely in the interior of Spain between two mountain ranges. The vineyards are located approximately 750 meters above sea level. All kinds of factors that ensure a pretty extreme climate with cold winters and dry, hot summers. Temperatures range from -18˚C in winter to 40˚C in summer. This allows the grapes to develop complex aromas and maintain their acidity. Various elements that form the basis for special and exclusive wines.
Wine was already produced in the area under Roman rule more than 2000 years ago. Viticulture as we know it today probably arrived in the Ribera del Duero region in the twelfth century from France with Benedictine monks.
The area is located on the vast, elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. It occupies the southern plains of the province of Burgos, extending west into Valladolid and encompassing parts of the provinces of Segovia and Soria to the south and east respectively. As the name suggests, the region follows the course of the River Duero for about 115 km upstream from Valladolid and is about 35 km at its widest. The region is located around the younger parts of the river, which later flows through the nearby Toro and Rueda regions before crossing the famous Portuguese growing regions of Douro and Porto, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The wines produced in the Ribera del Duero are almost all from red grapes. The vast majority of this comes from the Tinto Fino grape variety. That is a dominant red variety in the northern half of Spain. This variety is often supplemented with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.
