THINKING OF GIVING A WINE AS A GIFT? RIBERA DEL DUERO IS ALWAYS A GOOD CHOICE

What is it about Ribera del Duero wines that have converted them into an image of quality, the ideal gift, a cult object, and even a collector's item?

Several names, people and wineries created the myth, I will tell you their story: We are talking about a region with more than 2,500 years of wine-making history, as attested by the numerous vestiges that have been found. Greeks, Romans, monastic orders and nobles found in these lands the ideal place to cultivate vines.

Keep it; if not, the revival is hard to understand.

The rebirth of viticulture in our country would come at the hand of Ribera del Duero, from its legendary Vega Sicilia winery, founded in 1864. Its oenologist, Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, trained in Bordeaux, decided to plant Tempranillo alongside the French varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, and here the myth was born.

The quality and fame of Vega Sicilia wines began to grow and with it the name of Ribera del Duero. Vega Sicilia was its driving force, a mysterious, inaccessible wine, the first harvests were only shared among its partners, becoming as highly valued as works of art.

But, let's learn a little more about the region. With the impulse of a group of winegrowers in pursuit of quality, the Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin was created in 1982, where only red wines are produced, and only 1% of rosé wine. The authorised varieties are Albillo Mayor, white, and the red ones, Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tinta, Malbec and Merlot.

The great variety of styles of its wines is the result of its soils. We can find more than 32 different types of soil, originating from sediments of the Duero river and other geographical formations. These conditions have historically made it an ideal place for the cultivation of vines.

Another name that would make history would be Alejandro Fernández, winemaker of Pesquera, who would elaborate a single varietal Tinta Fina wine with grapes from the village of Pesquera de Duero, achieving great international success.

In 1982 Robert Parker praised the '82 Bordeaux vintage, but what does this have to do with Ribera? Well, at that time the style of wines from the Duero was very similar to that of Bordeaux, tannic wines, new wood for ageing, power... so the area was making wines to Parker's taste which would translate years later into high scores in his ranking for Ribera del Duero wines.

And then came the points... In 1995 another myth, a young Danish winemaker, Peter Sissek, founded his own tiny winery and Pingus was born, achieving 98 points in its first vintage, rising to the Olympus of the gods in 2004 when it got 100 Parker points.

Ribera was in fashion, it pleased the consumer's taste, the wineries copied this style as a guarantee of success and the critics confirmed it.

Footballers, pilots, big brands saw Ribera del Duero as an investment, and modern and avant-garde wineries began to emerge with the capital they contributed.

It was the golden moment of the area, big heavy bottles, behind majestic cases, new oak barrels flooded the cellars, a whole display that positioned the wines of Ribera del Duero among the most expensive.

And who doesn't want guaranteed success when giving a gift? Doctors, in-laws, bosses have been entertained with wines from the Duero, making them a sure-fire gift.

But Ribera is more than just a fashion, it is incredible vineyards, it is history, which is now trying to remove layers of make-up and return to its essence, that history where fine wines conquered the most demanding consumers in the world, those who forged the legend.