The most famous of the Spanish estates also comes from this region: Vega Sicilia.
In spite of seemingly unfavourable conditions, this wine region is a huge success.
The appellation was created in 1982 and has known an impressive development.
At that time, only 5 private estates were making wine within the D.O. - today, they are more than 200! The majority of the vines are a little more than 10 years old.
The altitude of the area varies between 500 and 850 m above sea level. This is the ideal habitat for the Tinto Fino, aka Tinta del País, the local version of Spain most famous grape, the Tempranillo.
The subsoil is composed of poor sandy soils, of limestone or alluvial gravel soils along the Douro banks.
Today the D.O. comprises 27,000 ha of planted vines.
Ribera del Duero is a good illustration of the Spanish continental climate: fierce winters, cold nights, hot summers, warm days and a very high thermal amplitude. All these extreme conditions allow good winemakers to produce great wines.