More than 2.500 years of history
The Ribera del Duero is located in the southeast of Castillo and León, in the highest part of the Douro, and extends from east to west, forming a wide channel at the top of the plateau. The more than 20,000 hectares covered by the Regulatory Council today cover 104 municipalities, scattered between the provinces of Valladolid, Burgos, Segovia and Soria.
The vineyards under the Ribera del Duero D.O. are inside a strip of land along the Duero river of some 115 kilometres in length situated on the border of the provinces of Soria (18 municipalities), Burgos (59), Segovia (4) and Valladolid (19). It starts more or less in the east at San Esteban de Gormaz and extends to Quintanilla de Onésimo in the west.
The mixture of soil features and the contrasts in temperature produced by the climate in this territory are determining factors in reducing production to obtain high quality limits.
SITUATION
It can be said that the plateau slopes down from east to west with an average altitude of 750-1,000 metres. The vineyards extend along the 110 km of the river, and penetrate into the east in the province of Burgos.
THE CLIMATE
Protected from the cold winds, it has moderate or low rainfall: rainfall between 75 and 90 days per year, especially in spring and autumn, with the additional contribution of moisture provided by the mists of the Duero. The summers are hot and dry.
THE SOIL
Soils in this area are complex. In the countryside, at the foot of the valley, they are alluvial with sand and clay. The soil consists of limestone and chalk in the east, and chalk, in the west in the upper part of the sides of the valley, where the “paramo” is found. To the east, the lower slopes are composed of clay and marl, while the lower slopes are dominated by limestone, clay and marl.
