Situated in Castilla Y León in north central Spain, Ribera del Duero has become one of Spain’s most important red wine producing regions since its rise to prominence, which started in the early 1980′s. Before this, it was thought that the climate was inadequate, specifically the temperature, with vines struggling during highs of 40 degrees C in July and severe frost in the winter.

Alejandro Fernández was the first man to really make the world sit up and take notice. He selected grapes growing around the village of Pesquera del Duero, just upstream from Vega Sicilia, a Bodegas on the western edge of the denomination which had been producing world-class wines for over 100 years. The wines of Fernández, under the Pesquera label, soon began to earn critical acclaim from outside of Spain.

The best thing to come out of the success of Pesquera was that the local growers suddenly realised that the grapes they had been supplying to co-operatives for so long had more potential than they could possibly imagine. With a bit of belief behind them, they began to make and market their own wine. Fernández was acting as an example to others and, unlike Vega Sicilia, had sparked a revolution.

Despite the short growing season and extreme temperatures, Ribera del Duero manages to produce staggering quality when it comes to red wine of the Tempranillo grape, which, very interestingly, can be attributed to the grapes ability to adapt. The local variant, a slighter hardier version of Rioja’s Tempranillo, is also known as Tinto Fino or Tinta del Pais.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec are also allowed to be cultivated within the denomination. Garnacha is used for Rosé, and the white Albillo is grown for local consumption as table wine.

Curious top value pick Mesoneros de Castilla Ribera del Duero 2006 – Powerful, fruit driven wine with a persistent, dark fruit & chocolate richness to the finish.