Valcozar Crianza ‘Ribera del Duero’

Aged in both oak barrel and bottle, this structured red made from 100% Tempranillo – locally called Tinto Fino – is made from hand-harvested grapes plucked from high-altitude vineyards. Expect intense but balanced aromas with hints of red fruit and spice. Crack it open and you’ll understand why Ribera del Duero is said to produce some of Spain’s most complex reds.

Bodegas Castillejo de Robledo is owned by 17 local winegrowers in the Soria province of central Spain, north-east of Madrid. It produces its Tempranillo on clay and loam slopes perched at an astounding 980m above sea level.

With aggressively hot summers and chilling winters, plus an extreme rocky terrain at high altitude, Ribera del Duero is an inhospitable landscape. But the presence of the snaking Duero river creates the perfect conditions for growing Tempranillo grapes. The wines here are some of Spain’s finest: complex, bold and refined. The difference between day and night-time temperature can be 40°C or more in some areas, leading to exceptional quality.