Liébana

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The comarca is nestled within the Picos de Europa massif, at altitudes exceeding 1,500–2,000 metres, whose mountain ranges shelter the area from incoming Atlantic weather fronts.
• The rugged relief is characterised by Carboniferous limestone, affected by karstic processes, with shales and sandstones on the valley floors.
• The developed soils are acidic in character, and the enclosed, basin-like nature of the area imparts edaphoclimatic conditions distinct from those of the rest of the region.
• According to the J. Papadakis classification, the climate is warm-temperate Mediterranean with a continental character, with moderate annual rainfall of 600–700 mm and dry summers.
• Climatically the comarca would fall within CMO zone C II, although by regulation it is classified in zone C I, with an effective heat summation of 1,567 °C compared with 1,347 °C for the Cantabrian coastal zone.
• The topography forms a large basin enclosed by limestone cliff walls, made up of four valleys converging at Potes, with slopes that often exceed twenty per cent.
• Average maximum temperatures of around 25 °C during the final phase of ripening cause that phase to be slow and extended, which encourages the accumulation of varietal aromas in the grapes.

• The document from the Monastery of Santa María de Piasca, dated 822, records the sale of a vineyard in exchange for various goods, making it the oldest written reference to viticulture in Liébana.
• In 1678 some residents of Liébana filed a complaint about the excessive spread of the vineyards, and the growers responded that pruning the vines required men to be roped together because of the steepness of the slopes.

• The quality of the polyphenolic profile is reflected in the organoleptic analysis of Liébana wines, which display good development and longevity in both young and aged wines.

• The marked diurnal temperature variation encourages the expression of colour and the synthesis, complexity, finesse, and accumulation of aromas from the authorised varieties.
• Moderate daytime temperatures promote the accumulation of sugars and a reduction in acidity, while cool night-time temperatures stimulate greater accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins, which are responsible for colour and structure.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-ES-A0130
• Official trade body site — ODECA — IGP Vinos de la Tierra de Liébana