Río Negro

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The 'Río Negro' plateau (páramo) is a sharply elevated landform lying between 940 and 1,000 metres above sea level, with acidic soils low in calcium and magnesium and relatively high in clays.
• The climate is continental Mediterranean, with diurnal temperature swings during the ripening period that typically exceed 20 degrees Celsius between day and night.
• Cool, denser air drains down the gullies of the plateau toward the lower-lying border zones, protecting the vineyards from severe frosts.
• The strong wind generated by the compression of air masses as they rise abruptly toward the plateau acts as a natural windmill, preventing radiation frosts.
• The plateau soils show a high degree of pedological development, often mantled by surface gravels, with clay accumulation in subsurface horizons, hydromorphic conditions, and iron and manganese segregations.

• The Tinto Fragoso variety is endemic to Cogolludo and of ancestral origin, with no documented presence anywhere else in the world, and forms the basis of the only wine commercially produced by 'Río Negro'.
• Traditional viticultural practices in the area included lime amendments to modify the chemical profile of the soil and the retention of stones beneficial to the vine, stones that were, by contrast, removed from the adjacent cereal-growing land.

• The red wines display a picota red (dark cherry-red) colour, even when aged, and are of medium-high depth of colour.
• On the palate they show a light acidity and a characteristic bitter finish, alongside a high level of total anthocyanins and elevated natural acidity.
• They have a natural aptitude for ageing and a higher content of methoxyphenols, compounds that impart spice and smoky notes with extended maturation.
• They show a high terpene level that contributes great aromatic intensity and typicity, with distinctive floral and tropical notes.

• The complex interaction among soil elements — with unusually low calcium levels and even lower strontium levels that, by not competing with calcium, allow its easy uptake by the vine — results in wines with an elevated calcium content.
• More intense solar radiation than in neighbouring zones causes the berry to develop a thicker skin, which contributes greater aromatic intensity and helps produce the elevated concentration of polyphenols and anthocyanins.

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

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-03003
• Official trade body site — Finca Río Negro