40 years of Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero, the home of Vega Sicilia, Pesquera and Pingus, was not granted appellation status until 1982, so 2022 marks its 40th anniversary. In these four decades Ribera del Duero has gone from obscurity to world class status and from less than half a million bottles and a handful of wineries, to more than 80 million bottles and over 300 wineries. At the same time its powerful and age-worthy reds have escalated in quality, challenging Rioja as the producer of the top Tempranillo-based wines, and rivaling the world’s best. In this tasting we will review Ribera del Duero’s history, present situation, and future developments, and taste some of its best wines from the top wineries and winemakers.