D.O. Rueda

The Rueda Designation of Origin was created in 1980, although the origins of wine in the area date back to the Middle Ages. During the Golden Age, the most famous wine in the area was El Dorado, which came to be considered the court wine at the time of the Catholic Monarchs. The Verdejo grape arrives in Spain during the legacy of Alfonso VI and through the Mozarabs who came to repopulate the Duero basin.

The vineyards

The D.O. Rueda rises between 700 and 870 meters above sea level. Its terrains are flat but high and endure cold and very long winters, short springs with late frosts and hot and dry summers, only altered by inopportune storms. The rainfall, in general, is scarce reaching minimums of 300 liters and maximums of 500 liters per year. These factors force the vines, which are late sprouting, to seek their water resources deep underground. The difference in temperatures between day and night is the secret of the balance between the sugar that the grape gains with the sun and the acidity that it does not lose during the cool night. The insolation reaches 2,600 hours per year that would be excessive if it were not for the late ripening of the grapes. Due to its latitude, the Rueda area is located in the Mediterranean area. However, due to its altitude, it is declared of continental influence.

Valtravieso makes its VN wine in the Puras region, south of the province of Valladolid and bordering the province of Segovia, one of the most special and highest altitude areas of the D.O. Wheel, about 850 meters. Likewise, it is the area with the highest concentration of old pre-phylloxera vineyards.

The soil

The soils are irregular and with excellent drainage in the highest layers; They are mainly poor, sandy and gravelly soils with a lot of boulders where the oldest vines are found. Some are also limestone and muddy with a mixture of gravel and boulders. In the lower layers they are strong and muddy, allowing them to store water in order to regulate themselves in the summer months. The youngest vines grow in the most clayey and limestone soils.

The vine

The vine from which this 100% Verdejo wine is born comes from plots with hundred-year-old free-standing vines and plots with vines on trellises that are around 20 years old.