The Spanish Revolt

In the venerated Ribera del Duero region, rule-breaking winemakers are proving you can’t judge a bottle by its label.

- Jeff Jenssen and Mike DeSimone

Spain’s picturesque Ribera del Duero wine region, one of the nation’s leading producers of fine vintages, is located on a high plain that brackets the Douro River. The rich farmlands run for 114km through the provinces of Soria, Burgos, Segovia and Valladolid in the autonomia, or state, of Castilla y León, north of Madrid. Archaeological evidence suggests wine has been made here for 2,600 years, since the Romans commanded these lands, and the geology explains why. The vineyards sit at 762 to 1,097m above sea level, and such high altitudes provide what’s known in viticulture as the diurnal temperature shift. Hot, sunny summer days offer ideal conditions for grapes to ripen, while significantly cooler nights allow them to retain their freshness and acidity.

Locals call Tempranillo, the main grape grown here, tinto fino (fine red) or tinta del pais (red of the country) to set it apart from the same grape grown in other areas, claiming that it has evolved over time in response to the region’s specific environment. And while regulations allow Tempranillo to be blended with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Garnacha Tinta grapes, much of the wine made here is singlevarietal Tempranillo.

But if the grapes are adaptable, the laws that control how they make it to your dining table are not. Each of Spain’s 69 wine-producing regions is governed by its own consejo regulador (or regulatory board), which writes local rules and enforces national standards.