Six Days Riding 'La Ruta Del Vino': Ribera del Duero.
Exploring Spain's Ribera Del Duero, DO on horseback
Last week my family and I went on the adventure of a lifetime: we rode 154 km (95 miles) on horseback through Spain’s Ribera del Duero DO — or what is called: La Ruta del Vino (the wine route)— through gorgeous landscapes, galloping through vineyards, crossing ancient bridges and Roman ruins, sleeping in castles and swimming in rivers, befriending strangers, running with the bulls, and drinking too much wine in the Ribera del Duero. It was magical, it was enlightening, and more than anything, it was veryyy Mas Vino. (My horse was even named Cabernet! It’s like we were meant to be). Here is a special edition newsletter breaking down this dynamic region, our trip and the wine that makes it so renowned.
Exploring the Region on Horse:
My family loves to ride horses, especially my grandparents, so to celebrate my grandpa’s 80th birthday, we took a family trip to Ribera del Duero. We rode for 6 days, totalling 154km (95 miles) through some of the most gorgeous landscapes I’ve ever seen. Our days were long, but leisurely. We would wake up early for a light Spanish breakfast of coffee and bread and then saddle up and head out for the day while the morning was still crisp.
We often rode for hours to reach our lunchtime destination, through valleys, up and over plateaus, and along rivers rarely seeing anyone else along the way. The region, mostly agricultural, was varied and diverse. Occasionally, we would ride through the tiny storybook towns and the townspeople would run to their windows and open their doors to wave to us, 15 riders clicking and clacking through the streets. When we reached our lunch location, somewhere outdoors and next to a creek, we would eat and drink wine at a long table until our hearts and stomachs were full, constantly passing endless plates of tortilla espanola, chorizo, morcilla, jamon and local cheese (plus whatever the main dish was that day). The bottles of wine seemed to be infinite, empty bottles being replaced with full ones until we reached the end of the meal, where they would be replaced again with chupito, a digestif made of herbs by our guide’s mom. I estimated our group of 15 riders drank about 1 case of wine each day, sometimes more. After a little sobremesa, we would take a siesta or a dip in the Rio Duero before getting back on the horse and riding to our next stop for the night.
On the final day of riding, we were lucky enough to experience a traditional encierro (running of the bulls), which really and truly was a remarkable experience. The energy, the tradition, the pride… I can’t quite put into words what it was like. It’s something you have to experience yourself understand why its so culturally integral to the Spaniard’s way of life. Later that day we met a man at lunch who brought us all back to his ranch to see his bulls and drink chupito with him. Encierros are who he and his community are. It’s so deeply engrained in their life that he built a whole ranch house to host people before and after them. He proudly shared stories and photos of him running with the bulls in Pamplona, and I realized, these are the kinds of people Hemingway wrote about in so much detail. 100 years later, the culture still runs deep and strong.
Much of the trip was a meditation for me. Silently riding through the landscape processing each new trail and view. There was a point between galloping through vines of tempranillo and crossing valleys with ancient ruins and passing medieval castles that I was sure the whole trip was a dream. I’ve been lucky enough to travel and see the world, but I had never seen or experienced something like this. Life in the Ribera was simple and slow and magnificently beautiful where the walls and the hillsides could tell stories for hundreds of years. I wondered how many people those trails had seen over the centuries and how many bottles of wine have captured its essence.
*A note on horseback riding: while the terrain was mostly flat, there were some areas of our route that were hilly, rocky, and involved a couple of cliffs. Nothing serious, but if you were to do this trip I would recommend it to folks who are comfortable on a horse, ideally with at least intermediate riding skills. It’s not impossible for new riders, but you’ll be on a horse at least 6 hours a day.
Ribera Del Duero DO, a little context
Spain’s Ribera del Duero wine region, only two hours from Madrid in the northwest, is known for its finely crafted Tinta del Pais (aka Tinto Fino, aka Tempranillo). The region has a long and ancient history of wine making, dating back 2,600 years, but it only received its Denominación de Origin (DO) designation about 40 years ago, in 1982, making it a relatively young “official” region.
The region itself spans more than 115 km following the Rio Duero with over 22,000 hectares of vines, 95% of which are the native Tempranillo, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and in small amounts: Malbec and Merlot (which were brought by Bordeaux producers) as well as Albillo (a native white grape). While the climate has some mediterranean influence, it also has a continental climate with drastically changing temperatures (sometimes a 50 degree difference in one day), with hot, dry and short summers and long, cold winters. This works to Tempranillo’s advantage, creating beautifully complex and supple wines, as long as it can survive the threat of frost in the region. The region is known for its high altitude vineyards (750-950 meters above sea level), with a terroir that varies in soil type, consisting of mostly sandy soils, however some areas are made up of chalk, sandstone or alluvial soils. Many vineyards sit high up on plateaus, while others are lower along the basin and valley, resulting in different exposures and altitudes.
All these factors come together to make beautiful and renowned Tempranillo that are structured and aromatic, known for their tannins and complexity. The wines produced in this region range from: rosé wines (which are a coferment of red and white grapes), young reds, Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas. DO regulations require reds to be no less than 75% Tempranillo, although most are single varietal and white wines to be no less than 75% Albillo. Today, there are over 280 wineries and over 8,000 growers across the region.
Unlike Rioja’s Tempranillo, which tend to be lighter and fruitier, Ribera del Duero wines are big and bold (usually 14% abv) with deep, complex flavors, high acid and aged in French or American oak barrels. Most of these wines are best aged a few years and while they can stand alone, deserve a big meal to drink with.
*A note on the DO (Denominación de Origin): is a quality controlled appellation, following regulatory standards and a higher status of winemaking. Though the Ribera del Duero has been approved for DOC status, it did not pursue it and it does not have any sub-appellations.
The Mas Vino Part (wine tasting)
Our trip followed a part of La Ruta del Vino (The Wine Route, a Spanish initiative to promote Spain's wine tourism and exploration of their renowned wine regions), exploring a handful of wineries along the way. We had a chance to explore some of the oldest and largest wineries in the region, like Protos, as well as a few of the smaller wineries in unique and interesting places (like this one inside of an abandoned church!):
The most notable winery, Vega Siciliana, has been making wine since the 1800s, and in the 1970s, winemaker Alejandro Fernandez saw the regions potential for greatness and turned his multi-generational small family winery, La Pesquera, into a business, eventually reaching domestic and international acclaim. Unfortunately, I was sick as a dawggg the day our group toured La Pesquera, the most “natty” of the wineries we visited (don’t drink the water at Protos, I guess!?) and I missed out on their tour but my fam captured the content in my place ;)
Historically, many wineries were underground, which still exist today, along with some of the old machinery and presses used in older winemaking styles. And while many of the wineries in the region have grown exponentially and produce thousands of bottles a year, many of them remain family-owned.
While I appreciate the institution and systems of DOs/DOCs/appellation, I admit, I missed the variety of wines I’m used to at home. We had a chance to try various producers and bottles during our trip, but after a few days 14% Tempranillo began to feel a little redundant. When in Rome (Ribera) I guess! It was all delicious but I missed by low-abv juice. Despite only drinking Tempranillo for a week, I loved this experience and would do it again and again (maybe in a new region!?). I’ve decided that the best way to explore any culture is through good food, good wine, with locals on horseback :)
If I ever get my life together, I’ll make a YouTube about it. Until then, follow me on Tiktok and Instagram to see videos of the trip.
So beautifully penned, Andrea!
Looks like my invite got lost in the mail!