Ribera y Rueda, Spain’s Most Prestigious Wine Areas, Have fun Over 2,000 Years of Winemaking Heritage
Ribera y Rueda, Spain’s most prestigious area for pink and white wines, is celebrating greater than 2,000 years of historical past with a free sweepstakes giveaway of a Spanish wine tour for 2.
Valladolid, Spain, April 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ribera y Rueda, composed of the Spanish wine-producing areas of Ribera del Duero and Rueda, is celebrating greater than 2,000 years of wealthy wine tradition, offering guests of unprecedented cultural expertise, steeped within the majestic heritage and galvanizing grandeur of Spain’s Castile and León.
Castile and León is a spot wealthy in historical past, power, grace, majesty, and grandeur. The unification of Spain was marked by the wedding and joint rule of Isabella I and Ferdinand, referred to as the Catholic Monarchs, in Valladolid, the capital of Spain on the time, positioned within the Castilla y Leon area. This marked the start of essentially the most superb period in Spain’s historical past.
The Ribera del Duero and Rueda areas, that are each simply 90 minutes from Spain’s capital of Madrid, seem inhospitable at first look. The rocky terrain and excessive altitudes have blisteringly scorching summers and bitterly chilly winters, however these areas additionally produce among the best grapes and wine in Spain.
Winemaking in these areas dates again greater than 2,000 years in the past, with the invention of a mosaic of Bacchus, the Roman god of agriculture, wine, and fertility, within the city of Baños de Valdearados in Ribera del Duero. The Roman affect is powerful within the areas, with the aqueduct of Segovia in Rueda being one of many best-preserved of those architectural marvels, which provided operating water to cities and farms throughout the time of the Roman Empire.
The areas are alongside one of many most-traveled land routes main from Rome to Africa, in addition to the Camino de Santiago, or the Approach of St. James, a significant pilgrimage route within the Center Ages. Thus, Ribera del Duero and Rueda are a part of a deep historic freeway the place information and concepts had been transferred, qualities that manifest of their exquisitely crafted wines.
Rueda: Spirit of the Lioness
Rueda’s signature product is Verdejo, Spain’s top-selling white wine and the subsequent massive factor on this planet of white wines. The area was the primary one in Spain to obtain the designation of Denomination of Origin or DO for white wine in 1980. The DO is a authorities seal of approval mandating {that a} wine bearing the identify Rueda Verdejo might solely be made inside this area. Verdejo is a modern white wine that’s described as swish, majestic, and female, similar to the area’s image, the lioness. Rueda can be the area with essentially the most feminine winemakers – nearly two-thirds of the region’s wineries are led by women – once more embodying the spirit of the lioness.
Rueda Verdejo is made in three types – joven or younger, which is recent and made for patio consuming; lees-aged, with textures and creaminess starting to develop; and oak-rested, with full complexity and a mode that’s meant to age gracefully. Verdejo pairs effectively with cheeses similar to brie, goat cheese, and Gruyére, in addition to conventional white wine pairings of seafood and poultry. Guests will not be conscious of it, however Spanish conservas or tinned fish makes an exquisite pairing with Verdejo, particularly the joven and lees-aged types, with the wine’s acidity chopping the richness of the olive oil. Verdejo will also be loved with Spanish picos, that are breadstick-like crackers, and skinny slices of Jamon Serrano, prosciutto, and different cured meats.
Ribera del Duero: Land of the Castles
Ribera del Duero’s satisfaction is the Tempranillo, often known as the ‘King of Grapes’, which is made into essentially the most coveted pink wine by collectors in Spain and everywhere in the world. Locals name Tempranillo ‘Tinto Fino’ as a consequence of its variations from different areas in Spain. The vines have decrease yields, as a consequence of excessive temperature shifts all through the day and the excessive altitudes of between 2,300 to three,600 ft. Over a 3rd of the vines are greater than 45 years previous, with round 10% exceeding 80 years. This ends in Tempranillo grapes which are smaller and have thicker skins, darker colour, and better acidity, leading to extra advanced wines.
The area, which obtained its DO in 1982, has a panorama dotted with castles, whose cellars are good venues for getting old wine, imparting a particular earthy taste because of the pure getting old environments. Ribera Tempranillo is usually made in 4 types: Crianza, a structured pink with muscular fruit flavors; Reserva, with nice potential to develop complexity with age; Gran Reserva, which is richer, extra elegant, luxurious and really advanced; and Cosecha, the wild card of Tempranillo that may be conventional or trendy.
As a medium- to full-bodied pink, Ribera del Duero Tempranillo goes effectively with roasted child lamb referred to as lechazo and suckling pig known as cochinillo. Different conventional pairings are meat stews from Madrid, Valenciana paella, chorizo, and Catalan sausage.
For vacationers and wine fanatics who’re on the lookout for one thing totally different from the standard wine nation tour, whereas embodying greater than two millennia of historical past and tradition of their wealthy wine custom, Ribera del Duero and Rueda are among the finest locations one can discover. To share this excellent expertise with as many individuals as attainable, Ribera y Rueda is giving vacationers from the US an opportunity to win a free wine tour to Spain. The grand prize is a spherical journey for 2, together with each air and land transportation, 5 nights’ lodging, vineyard excursions, and meals. The competition closes on Sunday, November twenty fourth, 2024. Salud!
Media contact:
Title: Brady Lowe
Electronic mail: [email protected]
