Now Ribera del Duero embraces geography

Old vines for Antidoto in Ribera del Duero

A host of single-vineyard wines from Spain's highest Tempranillo vines are presented by vintage. See Some stars of Ribera del Duero for a selection of producer profiles.

Quite some time ago I detected a sea change among the more than 1,200 brands that carry the Ribera del Duero seal. It seems that, at least for this new generation of producers, those not considered ‘the classics’, the classification scheme of Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva is no longer a priority that determines what they produce.

According to this classification, one might think that a Gran Reserva is more valuable than a Reserva, which...