The wine region is in Castilla Y Leon autonomy. Castilla stands for everything that is typically Spanish: old walled towns, small villages surrounded by sheep and goats and beautiful monuments of the time when Castilla was the birthplace of the Reconquista. The most important grape of Ribera del Duero, and also the only “recommended”, is the tinto fino or tinta del país. This is a local variant of the tempranillo grape. This grape covers 85% of the total vineyard area. In Rioja this grape needs the support of other varieties, but because of the height and soil composition in the Duero it produces fine and complex wines here.

Depending on the mountain height, the soil is very variable in this region. The vineyards start in the river valley and run to the mountain tops. They are often planted in terraces. The lower parts (riverbanks and low lying land) are called ‘campiñas’ or ‘terrazas’, the less steep slopes (excellent for growing vines) are called ‘laderas’, and the ‘cuestas’ or steep slopes are not suitable for planting. The highest-lying country, “páramo”, is usually better suited to growing grains because the sunlight is very bright.