Before
flowing into Portugal and giving life to the legendary port, the River
Duero runs through the ancient kingdom of Castilla through a landscape
of cereal plains and vineyards, broken up by the silhouette of medieval
castles cut out against the intense blue of the sky.
On its Spanish side, the Duero more than justifies the privileged position
it holds for the production of exceptional wines. Its mists cling to
and caress the clusters of grapes, giving the wines that blend of vigor
and delicacy which characterizes them.
The origin of today's wines from Castilla and Leon can be found with
the monks of Cluny, who came to the Iberian Peninsula along the Santiago
route. They brought with them the vines that would give rise to the
magnificent Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) variety, basis of the Ribera del
Duero's finest wines.
If the Ribera del Duero region has approached quality Spanish red wine
from a new angle, a process which is being closely followed by Rioja--
almost the same can be said of the whites in Rueda. Rueda's wines from
the Verdejo variety, rediscovered by the Bordeaux savant Emile Peynaud,
are among the most attractive ones in the country.
The reds from Toro are just now starting to show their true potential
and are proving to produces wines with immense power and concentration.
The same is true, though at a more modest level, for the wines made
from the Mencia grape in Bierzo, or the clarets, Bordeaux-like wines
from the emerging region of Cigales.
Bodegas Campos Goticos (Ribera
del Duero)
Bodegas Jaro (Ribera del Duero)
Bodegas y Viñedos del Sayago
(Rueda)