Expert’s choice: Ribera del Duero wines under £30

Ribera del Duero runs east to west in Castilla y León, and is home to many top Spanish wines.

The region is far from homogeneous; indeed, there is a huge diversity of terroirs. To say that a wine is from Ribera del Duero can be as vague as saying that a wine is from Burgundy.

There are just two main grape varieties: Tinta Fina (aka Tempranillo) for red wines and Albillo Mayor for white wines.

Scroll down for Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s top Ribera del Duero wines under £30

Tempranillo gives an amazing array of wine styles and qualities in Ribera, but labels are not very helpful for navigating this complex mix. Indeed, the regoin’s consejo regulador recognises only one classification, based on the time a wine spends ageing in oak barrels – as in many other regions of Spain.

However, at present such classification is almost irrelevant, except for the gran reserva category, because it doesn’t give a true indication of quality.

Most producers at the top omit any such classification, despite the fact that they age their wines for a long time. As a result, wine lovers must rely on their knowledge of brands or on expert recommendations.

In my view, clear and certified label indications relating to the specific origin of a wine are urgently needed. If there is one region that would benefit from an ad-hoc classification, it’s Ribera del Duero.

Little siblings

As a whole, the appellation is becoming a must-buy for top collectors because of the increasing number of iconic wines, often at very high prices. These can be a deterrent for anyone looking to buy wines in the mid-price range; however, there is a lot of affordable wine – under the categories roble (oak) and joven (young) – that is perfect for everyday drinking, even though it’s by no means indicative of Ribera’s potential.

For value-conscious wine lovers, the region’s prestige can be sampled through the wines in-between – those that, being affordable (£30 per bottle or less), show the quality and multiple identities within this appellation.

These fall into two categories. First, the second wines of very prestigious houses, which keep an air of family identity with the major wines, and are often only marginally inferior to them, but at a fraction of the price.

Second, the top bottles from ambitious wineries that are increasing their quality and fine-tuning the profile of their wines. These include newcomers, wineries under generational transition, or simply wineries that have hired or acquired new skills.

Some of those wines may be an excellent investment, since the producers are likely to become iconic, in time.

My selection here includes wines from both types, plus one clairet wine (rather than rosé), that are another demonstration of the potential for excellence in Ribera del Duero.

All wines except one were aged for a remarkable time in oak vats: a necessary condition for red Tempranillo wines to realise their potential.

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s top Ribera del Duero wines under £30:

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