New wineries in Spain still have old roots

One thing you can’t help noticing during a visit to Spain’s Ribera del Duero region is the tremendous amount of money that has been poured into the area in recent years. The landscape is dotted with grand structures that every so often house wineries. An estimated 80 percent of the area’s vineyards have been planted over the past 20 years.

Although much of the growth is relatively recent, this region’s winemaking dates back to Roman times. A lot of old cellars still are hidden underground, marked by small ground-level chimneys that provide ventilation.

Vega Sicilia, with its rare and expensive wines, has been in business since 1864, but it wasn’t until the success of Alejandro Fernandez, who founded his estate in 1972, that the region began to gain momentum. Fernandez’s wine, Tinto Pesquera, became one of Ribera del Duero’s best-known bottlers. Fernandez and other producers gained official recognition for their appellation in 1982.

Ribera del Duero’s landscape appears flat to rolling, but it’s on a high plain and has the highest average elevation in Europe for growing red grapes, with vineyard altitudes that range from about 2,500 to 3,100 feet. Summer days are hot, but temperatures drop dramatically at night, and the growing season can be short.

Tempranillo –known locally as tinto fino or tinta del pais- holds a 95 share of the local production. The early-ripening variety is particularly well-suited for the short growing season. That short season leads to a fair amount of vintage variation, but when conditions are right, the wines of Ribera del Duero can be lively, dark and delicious.