Visiting the Ribera del Duero wine region, where Spain produces some of the best wines in the world. And why it is impossible to visit after lunch and how Sicily connects to all this.
Organizing three wine tastings a day at Ribera del Duero wineries, a wine region in northern Spain, proved impossible. The reason siesta. One of the winemakers explained: “Our guests return from heavy and fragrant lunch breaks. Not long ago, I had a group, and we made an unusual exception to taste wine after lunch. They laughed and chatted until I stopped the tasting. I left a bottle of wine with them and said, ‘Sit outside under the tree and enjoy, the wine is on me.'”
Arranging a wine tour in Ribera del Duero can be very difficult. Some quality wineries are not prepared for visits: they are very small, have no tasting room, and do not encourage visitors. In some cases, they make visiting challenging. For example, finding the famous Pingus winery is almost impossible. It is located in an ordinary house on a side street with no sign. If you identify the house, the doorbell shows only “Office.” Pressing the button opens a narrow staircase that suddenly leads to a spacious winery.
Ribera del Duero wines are traditionally divided into four groups according to the Designation of Origin (D.O.) rules:
- Joven (young) usually not aged in barrels.
- Crianza aged a minimum of 12 months in barrels and 12 months in the bottle.
- Reserva aged at least 3 years, one year in barrels.
- Gran Reserva aged at least 5 years, one year in barrels.
Crianza wines are generally powerful, full-bodied, and fruity. This style has many fans in Spain and around the world. Most Ribera del Duero wineries produce wines in this style for a loyal audience. These wines are usually straightforward without complexity. However, a small number of wineries have recently produced wines with more refinement and complexity in addition to power.
Vega Sicilia was an exceptional winery, separate from agricultural cooperatives in the region that produced powerful but average-quality wines. Later, other wineries joined the region, gradually increasing international recognition. The success of a few iconic wineries created a boom in new winery establishments. Today, there are at least 400 wineries. Many have luxurious visitor centers and architect-designed buildings, purchase grapes from anywhere, and produce average wines characterized by fruitiness, strength, and wood flavors. However, a few wineries maintain quality as their top priority. They produce traditional wines, mostly 100% Tempranillo, using innovative techniques while maintaining high grape quality and balancing the natural strength of the region’s wines with complexity and refinement. These wineries include Dominio de Pingus, Mauro, Viña Sastre, Aalto, Ausás, and Dominio del Águila.
The wines of these wineries sell out within days and are sold at high prices. The export manager of Aalto shared a story: An Italian billionaire flew privately to the winery with his family and assistants. He requested a special 18-liter bottle of wine for the birth of his youngest child. The winery had no vintage left and had to refuse. Money cannot buy everything in Ribera del Duero.
Dominio del Águila
The winery is small, with a network of tunnels underneath. Wine aging occurs in barrels within the tunnels, keeping a nearly constant temperature year-round. The small staff handles all production manually, from cleaning bottles to labeling and moving barrels. This meticulous process produces outstanding wines with the highest ratings from critics.
Ausás
The winemaker purchases grapes from vineyards he knows well, some over 30 years. Grapes from different plots are fermented and aged separately and blended only before bottling. This process creates wines that reflect the terroir of Ribera del Duero and the winemaker’s style.
Viña Sastre
A family-owned winery with some of the oldest vineyards in Ribera del Duero. Wines are produced organically and biodynamically, with natural fermentation and no filtration or added sulfites. Vineyards are replanted with cuttings from their best old vines or low-yield clones.
Aalto
Founded by former winemakers of Vega Sicilia. The winery produces only two wines, fermented separately by plot and blended for freshness, strength, elegance, and fruitiness.
The culture emphasizes producing wines that please global wine lovers.
Mauro
The winery produces small, premium series of powerful, fruity wines that age well.
Grapes mostly come from vineyards over 60 years old.