Nº 01·Wine region·D.O. Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero

My first trip to Aranda was November 2019, and I still remember the cold of that morning in the Vega Sicilia courtyard. Ribera del Duero makes the driest, most powerful Spanish reds, but the climate the grapes grow in is brutal: cold nights even in summer, hot days, a 25-degree daily swing that is — literally — what makes Ribera, Ribera. That diurnal swing produces grapes with thick skins and high natural acidity, the foundation of the long-aging wines the region is known for. The D.O. runs 115 km along the Duero river between Soria and Valladolid. Four provinces, vineyards at 700-900 m altitude, and a single dominant grape: Tinto Fino or Tinta del País — Tempranillo, but adapted to this demanding terrain. Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec are allowed in small percentages. Most Ribera is 100% Tinto Fino. Aranda de Duero is the practical base: 33,000 people, an old town honeycombed with medieval underground cellars (over 7 km of tunnels), asadores where roast suckling lamb (lechazo) is mandatory. The famous wineries — Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Pesquera, Aalto — sit between Valladolid and Burgos, so Aranda is a good base even if some require half an hour of driving. Unlike Rioja, wine tourism here is less developed: many wineries need bookings days or weeks ahead, and there are fewer hotels. The trade-off: the landscape is yours, without tour buses.

By Mateo Iriarte·Editor

Updated · May 3, 2026

Cities

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Wineries

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