Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
Ribera del Duero to have a wonderful place to sleep and stay.” Although wines have been made here since Roman times, the classic Vega Sicilia winery is credited with initiating the industry of winemaking in Ribera del Duero in 1864. Even after that, for more than a century, most inhabitants still made their own wines for home consumption, as Alejandro Fernández’s father did. In his time, pretty much all wine grapes were vinified in co-operatives set up by the socialist government. Today, only about 30% of the wine here is produced by co-ops, and that number is on the decline. Teodoro Ortega, Managing Director of Anta Banderas, owned by actor Antonio Banderas. These co-ops, wineries and vineyards tend to be small to medium compared with those in other regions. In an area 71 miles long and 22 miles wide, there are 9,000 grape-growers. Though this region is on a high plateau (vineyards start at around 2,500 feet), most of the slopes are small and gentle. As grape-growing expands, more and more vineyards are being planted on the flat valley floors. In this extreme climate, this can lead to problems with early frost, as it did in 2008. But in general, extremity is an advantage here, as the hot days and cold nights of the region’s short summer create massive flavors in the grapes, yet preserve the all-important acidity that adds balance and ageability to Ribera wines. A Region on the Move In addition to Pesquera, Alejandro Fernández established a second winery, Condado de Haza, in Ribera del Duero in 1988, and now has wineries in several other regions as well. Conversely, major Spanish wine companies from other areas are also investing in Ribera, the largest being the Cordoniú group, which owns Legaris. Grupo Artevino has Finca Villacreces here, and originating in Argentina, the Bodegas y Viñedos Ortega Fournier group has established O. Fournier winery, producing international-style reds. For celebrity interest, this is where Antonio Banderas’s winery is located. His Anta Banderas is one of a hand- ful of design-conscious bodegas producing world-class wines; others include the Norman Foster– Neo is one of the newer wineries in the Ribera del Duero D.O. designed Bodegas Portia, the stunning Pago de los Capellanes in Pedrosa de Duero and the highly ambitious Bodegas Aalto, the domain of master winemaker Mariano Garcia. Other high-profile wineries include the post-modern startup called Neo; the organic and biodynamic Viña Sastre; the well-known Emilio Moro; and the very original Pingus, owned by Danish-born vintner Peter Sisseck. And, of course, the illustrious Vega Sicilia produces Único, one of the most highly sought-after bottles in the world, some- times considered Spain’s greatest wine. With so many excellent offerings from Ribera del Duero, American consumers are on an exciting learning curve. www.drinkriberawine.com Ribera del Duero Denominación de Origen Ribera del Duero received its DO (Denominación de Origen) status in 1982. Now, the regional wine asso- ciation, the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen, has full transparency in place, with a system of back labels and numbers that traces every bottle of wine, its provenance, quality and vinification. august 201 1 / the tasting panel / 39