GRAPES

Wines from the D.O. Ribera del Duero are mainly red, although you can also find rosè wines.The most distinctive grape variety is called Tinta del Pais generically known in the wine world as Tempranillo, which constitutes over 90% of the production. According to the Regulatory Board, for a wine to qualify for the appellation of origin, it should include at least 75% Tempranillo in its elaboration. No less than 95% of the grapes must be Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Albillo and Garnacha grapes are allowed, but in small quantities.

HISTORY

The Phoenicians, through their traders, introduced in the Iberian Peninsula the most advanced techniques of cultivation and production and even the most suitable vines for over 1,000 years BC.

Several centuries later, the Romans discovered the quality of the wines in Spain. The wines of the Douro river, were used to supply the armies and even today you can find Roman mosaics in the area with ornamental motifs associated with the god Bacchus, like the Baths of Valdearados (15 km from Aranda de Duero). In the necropolis of vacceo de Pintia (Padilla de Duero, Penafiel) hoards have been found associated with the rituals of wine introduced by the Romans.

The monastic orders spread across the territory from the tenth century, spreading the culture of wine. In the twelfth century, monks from Cluny made their own wines in Valbuena de Duero.

In 1295, they started regulating the harvest and since the fifteenth century, production and wine quality began to be controled.

DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

From 1975 the potential of the wines of Ribera started to be known. This DO would not have been possible without the conviction of a few pioneers, who in their time were regarded as crazy like for example, D. Jesus Anadon (former manager of Vega Sicilia) and Mr. Paul Peñalba Lopez (former manager of Torremilanos).

The next step was the provisional recognition (1979) of the Designation of Origin Ribera del Duero, which was definitively constituted in 1982. The Control Board was initially established in Aranda de Duero, but is currently in Roa.

From that moment, work has been done to achieve and maintain a quality that has been recognized by both national and international experts and by consumers themselves.

During the month of March 2008, the Control Board celebrated 25 years of the Designation of Origin  with various events including the Second International Congress Ribera del Duero held in Aranda de Duero [1]. In this conference, the bi-annual Short Fiction Award Ribera del Duero was announced.

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