D.O. Ribera Del Duero
The D.O. Ribera del Duero consists of a wine-growing belt of some 115km long by 35 km wide along the banks of the River Duero, one of the principal rivers in Spain. Although vines have been grown here for over 2000 years – there is a well-preserved Roman mosaic in the village of Baños de Valdearados showing the Roman God Bacchus - it has been in the last 20 or 30 years that this region has really begun to make a name for itself outside Spain. Nowadays there are more than 170 bodegas, some of which produce world-famous Spanish wines such as Alion, Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Pesquera, Chafandin, Palomero and Dominio de Atauta.
The predominant grape in Ribera del Duero wines is Tinto del País, known elsewhere as Tempranillo, with Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha Tinta and Albillo also employed to a lesser extent. The combination of grape varieties with the land and climate surrounding the River Duero gives rise to a very aromatic, fruity, bright-coloured young wine that evolves into a smooth, velvety Spanish wine with a large range of aromas and flavours.