Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero is one of Spain’s most celebrated wine regions. Encompassing 26,000 hectares of vineyard, it is home to powerful red wines of remarkable intensity and complexity – crafted mainly from the Tempranillo grape. 

Ribera del Duero is situated in the heart of Castilla y Léon around 30 kilometres east of Valladolid. Its vineyards blanket a broad valley on both sides of the River Duero (called the Douro in Portugal), at elevations of between 720 and 1,100 metres. Vines respond well to the big differences in temperature at these high altitudes. 

The spiritual home of Tempranillo

Ribera del Duero has a continental climate. During the growing season, daytime temperatures can be extremely hot but plummet to single figures at night. This diurnal shift is conducive to slow, balanced ripening and lends great intensity to the finished wines. The Tempranillo grape, known locally as Tinta del País, dominates production. Most of the wines are single-varietal expressions, but Tempranillo can sometimes also be blended with a dash of Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec) or Garnacha. Ribera del Duero reds tend to be deep cherry red in colour with violet hues, with fruit-driven, spicy aromas. These are full-bodied, richly textured but balanced wines with ripe dark berry flavours, vibrant acidity and firm tannins. Prolonged maturation in French or American oak adds complexity and ensures longevity as well as ageing potential.

Although the overwhelming majority of wines are red, white grape Albillo also accounts for a small proportion of wines.

Classification levels

Ribera del Duero has four official classification levels that refer to the length of ageing, with maturation in oak barrels integral to making the best of the region’s wine. Joven refers to wines with little or no oak ageing, while Crianza wines are subject to at least two years of ageing, one of which must be in oak. The minimum ageing requirement for a Reserva is three years, with at least one year in oak. Reserva wines have great complexity and longevity. Gran Reserva occupies the top of the pyramid, ageing for at least five years, with at least two in oak, translating into fine wines of remarkable structure and depth. Ribera del Duero offers something for all wine lovers, from beginner to advanced, across these different categories.

A traditional region of international renown

Winemaking in Ribera del Duero goes back a long way. The Romans were the first to grow vines here, but the region only attained DO (Denominación de Origen) appellation status in 1982. Ribera del Duero has made huge strides since then and is one of Spanish wine’s biggest triumphs, owing its international fame not only to a combination of terroir and climate, but also to the expertise of its winemakers.