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Spain Castilla y León
D.O. Rueda
D.O. Rueda |
Description to D.O. Rueda
The DO area in Spain named after the town of Rueda (Rad) is located northwest of Madrid in the heart of the Castilla y León region. It was classified as a DO area in 1980 for only white wines at that time. Characteristic are the hot, dry summers and the cold long winters. The vineyards cover almost 20,000 hectares of vines in 74 municipalities, which have more than doubled within 10 years. The limestone soil consists largely of clayey alluvium mixed with gravel terraces, which, in addition to the continental climate with cold winters and short hot summers, promotes the fruitiness and fresh acidity of the wines. The area around the capital Valladolid accounts for the largest part of the region. Huge cornfields characterise the flat landscape, which is why it is also called the "bread basket of Spain".
One attraction are the often ancient rock cellars with kilometre-long, labyrinth-like passages. The vineyards are located between 600 and 800 metres above sea level on the southern bank of the Duero, bordered to the west by the DO area of Toro. Viticulture has a history of over a thousand years here. After the Moorish occupation, King Alfonso VI (1040-1109) promoted viticulture as early as the 11th century. In the 17th century, the white wine enjoyed such an excellent reputation that the Spanish royal court had half of the production reserved for itself. By the end of the 19th century, almost all of the vineyards, which at the time covered around 90,000 hectares, had been destroyed by the phylloxera disaster. During the reconstruction, the main focus was on high yields, which is why the Palomino and Verdejo varieties were chosen.
White wine varieties dominate. Verdejo accounts for about 50% of the total vineyard area, followed by Viura (Macabeo), Palomino and Sauvignon Blanc. In 1972, the Bodega Marqués de Riscal, well known from Rioja, settled in the area and successfully sought recognition for Sauvignon Blanc. The winery began experimenting with white wine (only red wine was produced in Rioja) and introduced new techniques such as covering the grapes and temperature-cooled fermentation in stainless steel tanks using inert gas (protective gas). This marked the beginning of the rapid rise.
Today, the extract-rich white wines are among the leading ones in Spain. They must consist of at least 50% Verdejo, with Sauvignon Blanc, Viura and Palomino permitted as additional varieties. Rueda Verdejo must contain at least 85% Verdejo, but most winegrowers produce it as a single variety. As part of a new regulation of the term Cava, Rueda lost the right to produce this sparkling wine. Therefore, the new DO designation Rueda Espumoso was introduced in 1992. This must consist of at least 75% Verdejo and is aged on its lees for at least nine months. Finally, in 2004, the red wines of the municipality of Medina del Campo made from Tempranillo were also classified as DO. Well-known producers are Bodega Antaño, Bodegas Aura, Bodegas de Crianza de Castilla La Vieja, Bodega Hermanos de Villar, Caserío de Dueñas, Marqués de Riscal, Monteabellón, Naia, Náiades, Jose Pariente, Sitios de Bodega and Vinos Sanz.
Recent wines 324
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The most important grape varieties
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