How to pour
a Ribera del Duero in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for half an hour. A living room quickly reaches twenty degrees or more, which is too warm for this wine: the alcohol will come to the fore and the fruit will disappear beneath it. At 16 to 18 degrees, the wine remains balanced.
Cut around the capsule just below the ridge of the neck and wipe the neck clean. Place the spiral in the center of the cork and twist it straight down. With a gran reserva that has been lying for years, the cork will be softer, so pull it out slowly and straight upward.
A young, powerful Ribera del Duero benefits from decanting. Carefully pour the bottle into a decanter and leave it there for half an hour to an hour; the tannins will soften and the dark fruit will emerge. An older bottle with sediment should instead be poured carefully in one go, with a lamp beneath the neck.
Fill the glass to about one-third full. The space above allows you to swirl the wine, and with this style it really makes a difference: the aroma opens up noticeably in the first few minutes. So it’s better to top up with a small amount more often than to fill the glass all at once.
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The story
The Duero flows right across northern Spain and gives the region its name: Ribera del Duero means the banks of the Duero. The vineyards lie on a plain around eight hundred metres above sea level, sometimes a little lower along the river and sometimes well above it. Because of this elevation, it cools down sharply at night, even in the middle of summer, while temperatures can rise considerably during the day. This difference between day and night keeps the acidity in the grapes intact as the sugar increases, and it makes the skins thicker. That is precisely where these wines get their colour and structure from.
The right glass
A Ribera del Duero is powerful and needs air, so choose a large bowl of sixty centilitres or more and fill it only one-third full. With so much space, you can swirl it without spilling, and that contact with air is exactly what softens the tannins. A glass sold as a Ribera glass is not available in the range; the largest bowls in the large wine glasses collection are the closest match. If you decant a young bottle, also take a look at the decanters.
RCR Essential Wine Glass 65 cl (6 pieces)
Stölzle Lausitz Classic Wine Glass 65 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 88,90.
The right tools
For a Ribera del Duero, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew and a decanter for a young bottle. The bar tools below only come into play when red wine goes into a sangria: a bar spoon to stir the jug and a muddler to crush the fruit. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 78,85.
What do you pour alongside it?
A bottle from Ribera del Duero is a wine for the main course, so there is usually more on the table. These are the wines that come before and after it, from a glass of cava to start to a champagne with dessert. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The ageing designations are the same as in the rest of Spain. Joven means young and has seen little or no oak, while in this region you also often see roble on the label for a wine with a short period in oak. Crianza, reserva, and gran reserva spend a total of at least two, three, and five years respectively before being released for sale, with a fixed portion of that time in barrel and the rest in bottle. The exact periods are set by each DO and may be stricter than the Spanish minimum. Want to read more? See all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and first give a young bottle half an hour in a decanter. These wines are at their best alongside roast lamb, a grilled rib, or a beef stew with peppers. If there is any left over, seal the bottle and place it in the refrigerator, then serve it the next day; with a full-bodied Ribera, that is often an advantage rather than a loss.
Good to know
The difference from Rioja
Rioja lies lower, in the Ebro Valley, and still receives some Atlantic influence in the west. Ribera del Duero lies on the Castilian plateau, farther from the sea and a few hundred metres higher. As a result, the days are hotter, the nights colder, and the growing season shorter. The result is generally deeper colour, more tannin, and a tighter wine. It is a difference in style and landscape, not quality: both regions produce wines at every level.
The barrel culture also differs
You can recognize Spanish wine aged in American oak by notes of vanilla, coconut, and sometimes dill, a character traditionally associated with Rioja. Ribera del Duero uses relatively more French oak, which tends to bring spiciness and a tighter structure rather than sweet vanilla. This is a custom, not a rule: producers in both regions work with both types, and many wines see a blend of the two.
Tinto fino is simply tempranillo
Tinto fino and tinta del país are the names used for tempranillo in this region. It is the same grape, although the vines have adapted to the local climate over time and the bunches are often smaller here. In addition to tinto fino, the DO also allows smaller proportions of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, and garnacha in red wine.
Altitude and the difference between day and night
At 800 metres, the air is thinner and cools more quickly at night. The grape gets plenty of sunshine during the day and builds up sugar, while losing much less acidity during the cool night than it would in a warm region at sea level. In addition, the strong sunlight at that altitude makes the skin thicker, and the skin contains the colour compounds and tannins. Together, this explains why these wines are so dark and full-bodied.
How much alcohol it contains
A Ribera del Duero usually contains roughly 13.5 to 15 percent alcohol. That is on average slightly higher than in a Rioja, because the grapes here can ripen more fully in abundant sunshine and with a large difference between day and night temperatures. The percentage is always stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ribera del Duero and Rioja?
Mainly altitude and climate. Ribera del Duero lies on a plateau at around 800 metres, with hot days and cold nights, while Rioja lies lower in the Ebro Valley and has Atlantic influence in the west. As a result, Ribera wines are generally darker, more powerful and more structured. A slightly different barrel culture also plays a part: Rioja has traditionally relied more on American oak, Ribera more on French oak. It is a difference in style, not quality.
Which grape is in Ribera del Duero?
Tinto fino, the local name for tempranillo, also known here as tinta del país. It is the main grape and, in many bottles, the only one. Smaller proportions of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and garnacha may also be used in the red wine from this DO.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve Ribera del Duero?
Between 16 and 18 degrees, in a spacious 60-centilitre or larger bowl-shaped glass filled only one-third full. Half an hour in the refrigerator brings a bottle from a warm room to the right temperature, and the space in the glass gives you room to swirl.
Should you decant Ribera del Duero?
For a young, powerful bottle, it helps to decant it: half an hour to an hour in the decanter softens the tannins and brings out the dark fruit. With an old gran reserva, you only do it to leave the sediment behind, then pour slowly and in one go.
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