MY TOP 20: RIBERA DEL DUERO

Ribera del Duero represents the contrast between wines that take a long time to be made and ages to reach their full potential, and the hectic movement of new wineries, innovative winemakers, previously unheard-of old-vine vineyards, new wine styles, ceaseless market ups and downs...

I could have proposed a list of wines that are ready to drink now, most of them made many years ago, but that would not be very practical or fair to newer wineries.

Instead I decided to start anew, creating a list from a tasting of the best wines in the region that are available in the market now, which I went about selecting from more than 150 samples I received.

For top Ribera del Duero, I keep two principles in mind. First of all, there are no miracles in this region. All great Ribera wines are the result of careful site(s) selection, mature vines, low yields, smart winemaking and deft ageing.

Messages such as ‘I do nothing, nature makes the wines’ are just fairy tales. Tinta Fina, as Tempranillo is called here, is tricky to work with; picking grapes at the optimal time is difficult. Besides, Tempranillo will not release its potential unless exposed to (sometimes very long) barrel ageing. So top Ribera can