Castilla y León

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Semi-arid continental Mediterranean climate: long, cold winters, short, dry summers, with frost risk spanning between 180 and 220 days.
• The central basin (Duero Depression) is filled with Miocene Tertiary materials — conglomerates, clays, sands, and marls — with páramos overlying them.
• páramo soils are calcareous, alkaline, shallow, and highly stony; lowland campiñas south of the Duero display sandy and sandy-loam textures.
• Distinct microclimates in El Bierzo, Arribes del Duero, and Sierra de Salamanca: less extreme, more humid, and warmer than the meseta plateau.

• The 'madreo' technique in León/Fermoselle: whole grape clusters are added to fermenting rosé vessels to extract colour, aromas, and a natural light sparkle.
• Indigenous varieties promoted in recent decades include Verdejo, Tinta del País, Prieto Picudo, Mencía, Rufete, and Juan García, among others.

• Reds: powerful, ripe fruit, deep colour, solid structure, and well-suited to extended ageing.
• Young whites are fresh and fruit-driven; rosés offer red-fruit aromas and a pleasant, well-balanced palate.

• The diurnal temperature swing during August and September on the meseta enables optimal phenolic ripeness for age-worthy red wines.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the the specification.

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-ES-A0948
• Official trade body site — Tierra de Sabor — IGP Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León