Travel

On the banks of Duero
«Vkus» October 2006

The banks of the Duero River in Castile have been a military border between catholic kings of Spain and Muslim moors for centuries.

Modern Ribera del Duero is the scene of great wine battles; one of the best wine regions of Spain.

It was my first trip to Spain and I didn’t really know what to expect. In Moscow I had a chance to talk on different occasions with three key Ribera winemakers — Pablo Alvarez, Alejandro Fernandez and Peter Sisseck. Their wines — Vega Sicilia, Pesquera and Pingus — have become subject of legends and cults, a symbol of Spanish success in the world. Yet to judge general Ribera’s situation on account of its three heroes is not an objective thing, especially that the region has enjoyed real boom in the past two decades. See it for yourself. In 1982 when Ribera del Duero received Denominacion de Origen status (zone of controlled wine production), there were only 9 wineries. Now 236 estates work on both banks of Duero, vineyards take over 20,000 hectares, and figures continue to grow.

Although I visited only five estates, it was enough to create multiple impressions. New, newest and even future history of the region was unfolding before my eyes — how else can the processes in almost every vineyard and bodega be described?

The external side of the region, as seen by tourists, seems lost in time. Dusty villages are set along the roads; a dozen of medieval alcazars — castles — menacingly dominate typical countryside landscapes; Duero river with its numerous tributaries hide in green growth. But as soon as you turn from the main road and come to a winery, the picture looks very different. That’s where 21st century Spain with its designer buildings and high-tech equipment, avant-garde winemakers and superb wines is hiding. Nowhere else does the contrast of laidback countryside and winemaking progress show as starkly as in Ribera del Duero.

Let’s take Emina, for example — a new conceptual project aimed not only at wine production, but at wine education as well. Construction was recently finished. One can see traces of last works here and there. It is hard to determine what is primary in this complex — the actual process of making wine or its presentation within general winemaking culture. Carlos Moro who owns another two respectable Ribera bodegas, calls Emina the centre of interpretation of winemaking. His own approach is based on traditional Ribera’s variety Tempranillo which is vinified in ultramodern equipment, matured in French barrels and divided in three wines according to the age of vineyards.

The topic of winemaking is presented much wider for the visitors, though. Emina combines production facilities with historic expositions, archeological and art objects, interactive communication and tasting seminars. You are free to choose which understanding of wine is closer to you. Maybe, it is the one that was shared by Cistercian monks in the 12th century. Their monastery still stands several hundred metres away from Emina. Or, perhaps, you like the idea of Wine Panel Test — a modern electronic system of taste that was developed by Emina together with Microsoft.

Exciting things are also happening in Real Sitio de Ventosilla estate. Just consider the vineyards. They take 520 hectares, but are spread among fields and woods. Total agricultural area covers 3,000 hectares. When I was shown around in a jeep on a shortened one-hour drive, the whole thing reminded me of “Cat in the boots” fairy tale. Whose lands (woods, fields, vineyards, rivers — the choice is unlimited) going to the horizon are these? — But Marquis Carabas’ (that is Real Sitio de Ventosilla), of course! Jokes aside, the estate in fact belonged not to a marquis, but to the Spanish royal family for 500 years. Its name is translated as ‘Royal Ventosilla estate’, and it was a hunting ground.

The land of Sitio de Ventosilla was first used for winemaking purposes in 1989, when first vineyards were planted after a detailed study of soils and microclimates. Wine was released after seven years when vines had enough maturity and yielded quality grapes (normally winegrowers pick harvest after 3-4 years). A very simple yet highly effective system is used in the vineyards which helps to control works and trace the grapes. Opening poles of vine rows are painted in different colours. Black indicates a testing plot for checking phenolic ripeness and other parameters of the grapes; blue shows a change of block inside a large vineyard; yellow — division of plots for seasonal works, etc.

The winery is also an example of cutting edge technology. It is especially interesting to look at details which often lead to our final judgment of the place. In the aging cellars barrels are placed in metal frames which look like a honeycomb. Thus each barrel remains autonomous, one can build up a structure of up to 9 rows high. Barrels contain microchips with information about the age and tye of wine — again for its full traceability. Laboratory of Real Sitio de Ventosilla is the only certified private laboratory of Ribera del Duero that does research and analysis for own needs and for 70 wineries of the region.

Yet Ribera is not a New World with heavy technological orientation. In Emina they say that the primary goal is to preserve the character of terrain and transfer it to wine. Real Sitio de Ventosilla estates picks all grapes by hand and takes convincing care of the ecology. The cellars of Bodegas Felix Callejo are filled with Gregorian songs, and Bodegas Hermanos Sastre berry by berry collects grapes from 70-90-year old vines to make unique wines. The winemakers of the region keep very tight connection with the land. As Felix Callejo says, “We do things this way and not another because we tested them by practice. Yet we need to work more in future”. His words best sum up the attitude of many local winemakers. Ribera del Duero deserves its success.