Finding out the Ribera del Duero Protected Designation of Origin
The Ribera del Duero has been built up and shaped by the development of many people, cultures and traditions of the local inhabitants.
Phoenicians and Romans left an important wine production legacy in this area.
After that period, wines from Ribera de Duero were used to provision different armies.
Wine culture was also extended during X century thanks to several religious orders and during XII century, the Benedictine monks from Cluny started to produce their own wine at Valbuena de Duero.
The underground wine cellars from Aranda de Duero are well renowned as they make up a tunnel and passage net system created from XII to XVIII century.
Furthermore new types of wines and several crops and vine dressers appeared on the 70s but until 12 years later the Ribera del Duero Protected Designation of Origin was not set as official and legal.
The vineyard extension for this Designation goes up to 115km length and 35km wide, being the Duero river the main audience for these wines evolution.
Inside this Designation there are 102 assigned districts spread across the regions of Burgos, Valladolid, Soria and Segovia within Castilla-León.
We can find 5 types of wine for the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin:
- Rosé: produced with at least 50% of the red grape varieties and a minimum alcohol content of 11º.
- Young Red: no barrel aging or lower than 12 months.
- Crianza Red: aging greater than 24 months starting from the 1st of October on the year of the grape harvest and stored in oak barrel for 12 of the remaining months.
- Reserva Red: 36 months aging and stored in oak barrel for at least 12 months.
- Gran Reserva Red: 60 months aging and stored in oak barrel for at least 24 months.
The type of grape accepted for the Ribera del Duero PDO are as follows:
- Tempranillo: medium acidity wines.
- Cabernet-Sauvignon: high acidity wines.
- Merlot: medium acidity wine.
- Malbec: high acidity wine.
- Red Garnacha: aromatic wines.
- Albillo: aromatic wines.