The DO Rueda has conquered restaurants and tapas bars in Spain with its white wines made from the Verdejo grape variety. Over the past 50 years, it has developed a style of fresh, medium-bodied and fruity wines with lively acidity. We present the most interesting wines.
The Rueda region is located on the south bank of the Duero on a plateau between 700 and 930 metres above sea level. The landscape is predominantly flat but high, with gentle reliefs and hills on which Atlantic winds blow. The soil consists of calcareous and stony alluvial terraces with textures ranging from sandy to clayey. The terraces are permeable to air and water and are easy for winegrowers to work. This prevents fungal diseases and encourages the vines to seek water at depth. In the south-east of the region, in the province of Segovia, the vines are rooted in sandy soils. In most of the area in the province of Valladolid, the soils are characterised by pebbles: The characteristic "suelo cascajoso" (pebbly soil) is typical of the DO Rueda terroir.
The climate is continental: winters in the region are cold and very long. Spring is rather short, but always harbours the risk of late frosts, which rarely harm the vines due to the late budding. In contrast, summers are hot, dry and often accompanied by thunderstorms. Rainfall is scarce: Rainfall is only between 400 and 500 litres per year.
One of the most important climatic characteristics of the region is the large temperature difference between day and night due to the high altitude of the vineyards. This ensures that despite the hot, dry summers with an average of 2,600 hours of sunshine a year, the sugar levels in the grapes do not go through the roof - and that the acidity is retained. The late development of ripeness also favours harvesting at moderate temperatures, often even at night. This results in easy-drinking wines with freshness and nerve, even at high aromatic ripeness.
The unbroken wine tradition in the Rueda dates back to the 11th century, when the first vineyards were planted after the Reconquista. In the 15th century, during the reign of Isabella I of Castile, the wines were so sought-after and precious that they were protected by royal decree. According to Hugh Johnson, this probably led to the first definition of a protected wine region. In the 17th century, the Spanish royal family still claimed half of the production for themselves.
Before the appearance of phylloxera, the vineyards covered around 90,000 hectares and included both red and white varieties. The "creeping" vineyards were a speciality of viticulture at that time. They formed a typical Castilian landscape with small green hills that blended into one another. At the end of the 19th century, oxidative wines with long maturation were particularly successful. They are comparable to those from Jerez and Málaga and have always been known as "vino dorado" (golden wine). In fact, there was a very active wine trade between the two regions at the time.
After the appearance of phylloxera, which destroyed almost all the vineyards, the intensive trade made it easier for winegrowers to replant them with the Jerez-typical Palomino grape variety. It still plays a role in the region today, but has been displaced above all by Verdejo, which now accounts for around half of the vineyard area. However, the tradition of oxidative wines remained alive in the region. Gradually, however, consumer tastes began to change: Fresher, fruitier wines, as known from France, were increasingly in demand. To promote this style, the Viura grape variety was imported from Rioja to age the wines in oak barrels in this style.
Finally, the success of the wines of this new style from the Rueda aroused the interest of Francisco Hurtado de Amézaga de Riscal. He was the owner of the large Rioja wine estate Marqués de Riscal. Hurtado, oenologist and technical director of the Rioja winery, had been looking for a place to produce high-quality white wines on a large scale for years. Initially, his cuvée consisted of Viura and traditional Verdejo. The wines were matured for a short time in used oak barrels. This new direction culminated in the founding of the DO Rueda in 1980, which was also promoted by Bodega Marqués de Riscal.
Initially, the DO Rueda covered around 10,000 hectares, but due to its great success, the area has doubled since then. Verdejo has played an increasingly important role and has largely replaced Viura. Over the years, the style has also been refined: winemakers are now focussing on lighter, lighter and even fresher wines with striking acidity. However, under the influence of the legendary Bordeaux oenologist Émile Peynaud, ageing in oak barrels was largely abandoned. Vinification in the then new, modern steel tanks with controlled temperatures prevailed.
A visit to the region reveals how large the vineyards are. Rows of steel tanks, each with a capacity of 100,000 litres, are almost the norm. This is due to the fact that there are around 1,580 winegrowers, but only 79 wineries; even family businesses sometimes process bought-in grapes from several hundred hectares. In the glass, however, it is clear that large production volumes and high quality need not be a contradiction in terms.
Today, white wines account for 98 per cent of production in the DO Rueda, with more than 80 per cent of the vineyards planted with Verdejo. In second place is Sauvignon Blanc with ten per cent. Viura is in third place with five per cent, followed by small proportions of Palomino, Viognier and Chardonnay.
Verdejo typically produces greenish-yellow to straw-coloured wines with a great aromatic potential of fruity notes ranging from white fruits (pear and apple) to stone fruits such as nectarine and melon. They are often accompanied by aniseed and fennel nuances as well as a pleasant hint of aromatic bitter notes, which are characteristic of the variety. The Sauvignon Blanc contributes green, vegetal and exotic fruity notes. The proportions of both varieties in the wines can vary greatly, but single-varietal wines made from Verdejo are also very common.
With this style, the DO Rueda has created its own category, the Gran Vino de Rueda, which is aimed at high-end gastronomy. The wines with the characteristic black back label come from vineyards over 30 years old with yields of less than 6,500 kg/ha and a maximum kilogram to litre ratio of 65 per cent. With these wines, the DO Rueda offers consumers added value and demonstrates the great versatility and storability of the autochthonous Verdejo grape variety. The 2020 and 2021 vintages are already on the market.
In addition, ancient vineyards and plots have been replanted in recent years. In some areas with sandier soil, there are even ungrafted vines from the time before phylloxera. These plots are vinified separately and treated with special care. All of this creates the character of the Rueda wines, which express themselves with fruit, a mineral base and a special depth and longevity. These distinctly sophisticated Rueda varieties have not been available for long, but add a new dimension to the region's success story.
Familia Martínez Bujanda
— Castilla y León
2020 D.O. Rueda Verdejo Finca Montepedroso "Enoteca"
91 WP
excellent
38.60 €
Familia Martínez Bujanda
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo Finca Montepedroso
87 WP
very good
8.15 €
Bodegas Val de Vid
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Condesa Eylo"
Up to 10.00 €
Bodegas Val de Vid
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda "Eylo"
Up to 7.50 €
Martivillí
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Martivilli"
85 WP
very good
Up to 15.00 €
Protos
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo
86 WP
very good
7.70 €
Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "excellens"
84 WP
good
Up to 10.00 €
Marqués de Riscal
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Limousin"
88 WP
very good
19.20 €
Bodegas Rodríguez y Sanzo
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "El Quinto Paraje"
Up to 15.00 €
Familia Torres
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Pago del Cielo - Celeste"
85 WP
very good
Bodega Cuatro Rayas
— Castilla y León
2021 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Longverdejo - Gran Vino de Rueda"
17.50 €
Bodega Cuatro Rayas
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo "Organic"
Up to 9.00 €
Protos
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo Cuvée
87 WP
very good
9.95 €
Bodegas y Viñedos Tamaral
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo
88 WP
very good
Up to 10.00 €
Marqués de Riscal
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo
84 WP
good
8.90 €
Bodegas Muelas Tordesillas
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Verdejo Blanco "MVEDRA"
86 WP
very good
Up to 7.00 €
Martivillí
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Sauvignon Blanc "Martivilli"
87 WP
very good
Up to 15.00 €
Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Sauvignon Blanc "excellens"
87 WP
very good
Up to 11.00 €
Marqués de Riscal
— Castilla y León
2022 D.O. Rueda Sauvignon Blanc "Organic"
86 WP
very good
11.95 €
Protos
— Castilla y León
2020 D.O. Rueda Verdejo
86 WP
very good
