Bierzo doesn't fit in with the other denominations of Castilla y Leon. Wines from this area are something of a middle ground between the bold wines of the Duero valley and the light, seafood friendly wines of Rias Baixas in Galicia.
Located in the Cantabrian Mountains, vineyards here are planted at elevations around 1,700 or 1,800 feet.
The Mencía grape flourishes in Bierzo, due to a warmer climate than Galicia and more rainfall then theDuero uplands. In fact, over 60% of the denomination is planted with this grape, which makes fruit driven, Beaujolais-like reds.
Though mainly a red wine producing area, a limited amount of white wine is produced from Godello, another native of northwest Spain.
>Viña Sastre Since the mid 80's, Ribera del Duero has made some of the greatest wines in Spain. Thanks can be given to diligent and innovative wine making and attentive viticulture, along with a good ripening season (which is only 125 days long). The high alpine valleys of the Duero and its tributaries demand that the vines be rugged, kept free of diseases, and harvested with full ripeness before the autumn frosts.
In 1864, Don Eloy Leconda Chaves returned to his estate near Valbuena from Bordeaux armed with French vine cuttings, oak barrels and Bordelais wine making knowledge. His aim was to recreate a Medoc style at his estate Pago de la Vega Santa Cecilia y Carrascal. His great discovery was that by treating the local grape called Tinto de Pais with the same care as the Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec, wines could be made at the same high level. In fact, in drier years, the indigenous varietal turned out much better than the French ones. Today the estate is known as Vega Sicilia and the grape is Tempranillo. The soils are perfect for grape growing with the same schist-like structure found in Priorat to the east and the Douro Valley in Portugal to the west. Above this level gypsum and chalk provide trace minerals and good drainage. Most vineyards are at 2500 feet above sea level, which creates hot temperatures in the day and drops of 20 degrees at night (facilitating ripening). The cool night temperatures protect acid levels and let the vines sleep. For the first 118 years of existence, Vega Sicilia's wines were only labeled as table wine even though they were the most expensive wines in Spain.
In 1982, thanks to the work of like-minded visionaries like Alejandro Fernandez at Pesquera, Ribera del Duero was given D.O. status. Fernandez, with his winemaker, Teofilo Reyes, showed that great wines could also be made without the long aging method employed at Vega. This has led to young innovators using modern methods, still keeping yields low and manipulation to a minimum to produce credible wines in their own right. The wines are bright and bold. The crianza wines add the spiciness of new oak and the reservas show richness, length and the ability to age.
>Garciarevalo
The retreating Moors used a scorched earth policy that left the area south and east of Valladolid devastated for a hundred years. Homesteading farmers and monastic orders in the 11th century began planting many different crops, one of which was the grape Verdejo. Trying to emulate the success of Sherry, the grape was allowed to oxidize and became the style of wine from the area. By the middle of the 19th century the fancy for these wines died out. A century later Francisco Hurtado and the decendants of the Marques de Riscal were advised by Emile Peynaud to choose Rueda as the place to produce a fresh and fruity wine for export. In 1972 he established a bodega to produce a dynamic and unoxidized Verdejo wine. The climate of Rueda is comprised of hot days, cold nights and severe winters. The soil, composed of limestone, is perfect for the variety. Experimentation with oak and the acceptance of Sauvignon Blanc as a permissible grape variety has lifted the image of the DO.
