Castilla y Leon

Castilla y Leon covers a large swathe of ground. Stretching roughly 350 kilometers from the centre of Spain to almost the the north coast, it covers about one-fifth of the country’s total surface area, connecting Rioja with the border of Portugal. As such, it is hard to generalise. The climate is overwhelmingly continental, with hot dry summers followed by sharp winters, all mediated by the winds of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cordillera Cantabrica mountains shield Castilla y Leon from the influence of the Bay of Biscay, which cools the climates of Asturias, Cantabria and Pais Vasco.

This is undoubtably red wine country. Tempranillo rules, where it is sometimes known as Tinta del Pais, Tinto de Toro and Tinto Fino. It is behind the great wines of Castilla y Leon, such as those from Ribera del Duero and Toro. In Bierzo, Mencia is the chosen grape, producing earthy, spicy wines that are somewhat similar to Syrah in style. White wine, however, is not non-existent. Verdejo and Viura make some beautiful wines in Rueda, known for their aromatic complexity. There is much variety to be had in Castilla y Leon, and also some world class wines made by Vega Sicilia, Numanthia-Termes, Camp Eliseo and Bodega Palacios Remondo, among others.