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What is the difference between Ribera and Rioja wine?
Zoe Menchaca
2025-11-09 21:26:45
Respuestas
: 5
Rioja’s modern-day fame as a winemaking region is thanks in large part to the efforts of people like Luciano Murrieta and Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga.
Those far-sighted Spaniards went to Bordeaux in the mid-19th century to learn about winemaking and returned to Spain ready to invest time and money in making fine wine.
At about the same time, a certain Eloy Lacanda y Chaves was also learning his craft in Bordeaux.
He used his newly acquired wine knowledge to set up a vineyard in what is now DO Ribera del Duero, near Valbuena on the banks of the Duero river.
That vineyard was called Vega Sicilia, and is now one of Spain’s most well-known and respected wineries.
All three were visionaries; putting a focus on quality at a time when most Spanish producers were intent on producing as much wine as possible, the bulk of which was exported to France.
And all three helped to lay the foundations for the two winemaking regions we know today.
Rioja became an official DO back in 1925, and in 1991 it achieved DOCa status – a sort of DO+ status with slightly stricter rules.
In Ribera, things moved at a slightly slower pace.
In fact, the region was only officially recognized as a DO in 1982.
But since then, growth has been spectacular – going from 6,000 Ha at the start to more than 22,000 Ha today.
Francisca Figueroa
2025-11-09 21:21:58
Respuestas
: 9
One of the questions that we are commonly asked is what are the differences between the wines of Ribera del Duero and Rioja.
Ribera del Duero was only officially established as a wine region in the 1980s.
Since then it has been racking up admirers and now rivals Rioja as Spain’s most prestigious red winemaking region.
It is true that there are similarities between Ribera del Duero and Rioja – both regions are located in northern Spain and produce ageworthy, Tempranillo-based reds.
In addition, ageing requirements for the two regions are the same.
However, wines from Ribera del Duero have a different taste profile and structure from Rioja.
Ribera del Duero typically has a deeper colour, higher tannins, a fuller body and more intense black fruit flavours.
Rioja tends to have abundant red fruit aromas and flavours, complemented by notes of vanilla spice .
This is partly due to the two regions’ differing climates.
Ribera del Duero’s semi-arid terrain, intense sunlight and extreme temperature enables its Tempranillo grapes (known locally as Tinto Fino) to ripen quickly, resulting in complex super-concentrated reds.
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Manuel Véliz
2025-11-09 17:06:20
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The reality is that it is striking to see how two wine regions that are only two hours away from each other, whose main grape is the famed Tempranillo, and which, apparently, share many of the same ripening and storage processes, can produce such different wines.
In 1925, Rioja wine was designated as a designation of origin, and in 1991, as a qualified designation of origin, which is only given to wines of exceptional quality.
Ribera del Duelo wine was recognised as an appellation of origin in 1982, although it does not have the label of qualified appellation of origin, despite the fact that most specialists consider it to be so.
Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja are the three geographical sub-denominations of the Rioja designation of origin, which generally correspond to the areas of La Rioja, Álava and Navarra, respectively.
The Ribera del Duero appellation covers the easternmost part of the Castilian-Leonese provinces of Segovia, Valladolid, Soria and Burgos, and its orographic variation is similar to that of a valley slope.
Tempranillo is the main grape in both Rioja and Ribera.
The climate of the Ribera del Duero region is continental and semi-arid, with long, cold winters, hot summers and little rainfall.
The amount of alcohol Ribera del Duero wines tend to have a higher alcohol concentration.
New French oak is more commonly used in Ribera, and American oak has long been used in Rioja, usually for various purposes.
In general, the colours of Ribera del Duero wines are more vibrant.
Ribera del Duero wine tends to be more expensive than Rioja.
Amparo Guerrero
2025-11-09 16:55:10
Respuestas
: 9
La región es hogar de más de 600 bodegas donde los productores cultivan Tempranillo y otras variedades en 160,000 acres de viñedos.
Rioja tiene influencias climáticas atlánticas, mediterráneas y continentales.
Se cree que la crianza en barrica se introdujo en la década de 1780.
En la década de 1850, cuando la filoxera arrasó los viñedos de Francia, los productores de Burdeos se mudaron a Rioja y comenzaron a ejercer su oficio, marcando la era moderna de la vinificación en la región.
Se han establecido nuevas reglas en 2018 que permiten vinos con denominaciones de pueblo y viñedos individuales.
La región se encuentra en un meseta, o meseta de montaña alta, con altitudes entre 2,300 y casi 3,600 pies sobre el nivel del mar.
Los fuertes cambios de temperatura de día a noche ayudan a preservar la acidez de las uvas, lo que contribuye a su frescura y longevidad.
La vinicultura en Ribera del Duero data de la era romana.
Los monjes benedictinos de Borgoña estuvieron activos en la viticultura y la vinificación en el siglo XII.
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