Ribera del Duero

By Megan Cole CC BY 2.0

Over the last 25 years, Ribera del Duero has become one of Spain's most respected red wine producing regions, rivaling Rioja for the quality of its Tempranillo (called Tinto Fino in Ribera) based wines. Its most famous winery is Vega Sicilia, which has been producing world class wines since the 19th Century, but in recent decades names like Aalto, Pingus and many others have achieved their own fame. Ribera has the reputation of producing more "modern" reds than "traditional" Rioja, meaning more forward fruit and less oak influence.