Rueda (wine region)
Rueda is a wine-growing region in Spain . It is located in Old Castile between the red wine regions Ribera del Duero and Toro and is bordered to the north by the Duero River .
location
The Rueda wine-growing region is located in a hilly landscape at heights of 600 to 800 m . The better locations are generally closer to the Duero. The typical, heavily gravelly soils allow only low yields, but bring strong mineral tones to the wine.
Wines
Rueda is mainly known for its white wines . The main grape variety is Verdejo with a cultivation area of approx. 5380 ha. In the DO , the grapes Verdejo , Viura (or Macabeo ), Sauvignon Blanc and Palomino are permitted . In 2002 150,300 hectoliters of wine were produced, almost a fifth of which was exported.
history
The Rueda area has a long and eventful history. When Valladolid was still the state capital, the wines from Rueda were in great demand with the noble families living there. The vineyards were completely destroyed by the phylloxera infestation . During the reconstruction, the winemakers were tempted to plant high-yielding varieties, and the choice fell on the Palomino variety . The wines produced were of poor quality. The best results were achieved with sprinkled sherry- type wines . However, these wines have never received international attention.
New history began in the 1970s, when the well-known wine producer Marqués de Riscal (from Rioja) was looking for an area to grow white wines with high quality requirements. The winery had decided a long time beforehand not to grow any more white wines in Rioja , because the desired quality could not be achieved there. The Riscal oenologists in Rueda became aware of the Verdejo grape variety on the advice of the well-known wine expert Émile Peynaud and recognized the enormous potential of this grape in modern viticulture. New techniques such as the rapid transport of the grapes to the cellar and the pressing of the grapes under a protective gas cushion have preserved the outstanding freshness of the must. The success of the new type of wine has completely changed the face of the region. Within a short time, the grape variety became by far the most widely cultivated variety in Rueda.
As part of a new regulation of the term cava , Rueda lost the right to cultivate this sparkling wine. There is therefore a new DO Rueda Espumoso , which produces sparkling wine from at least 85% Verdejo and thus goes a new way. In the meantime, experiments are also being made with red wines and rosé wines.
Since 2013, the Rueda wine-growing region with its 54 wineries and 74 municipalities has been part of the Acevin Association of Spanish Wine Routes.
literature
- John Radford: The New Spain. A complete guide to contemporary Spanish Wine. Mitchell Beazley, London 1998, ISBN 1-85732-254-1 .
- Jan Read: Spain's Wines 2005/06. 7th, revised, updated edition. Hallwag im Gräfe und Unzer Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-7742-6962-9 .
- Jeremy Watson: The new & classical Wines of Spain. Montagud Editores, Barcelona 2002, ISBN 84-7212-087-2 .
