Rueda

On the same high plateau as Ribera del Duero, Rueda has its own highly successful grape variety Verdejo, whose crisp nuttiness hints at its previous existence in a sherry-like wine. It now makes very modern, aromatic unfortified table wines and the region's success in this field was much helped by the importation of Sauvignon Blanc vines by Marqués de Riscal of Rioja in the 1970s. Other individual producers experimenting with serious techniques such as barrel fermentation include Belondrade y Lurton, Angel Lorenzo Cachazo, Naia Viña Sila, Palacio de Bornos, Pagos del Rey and Telmo Rodríguez. The region, with its relatively cool climate and good acreage of fashionable Sauvignon Blanc, has become increasingly appreciated.