Ribera del Duero declares 2020 vintage "excellent"

By Lisa Riley

Published: 07 July, 2021

Ribera del Duero DO has declared the 2020 vintage as "excellent", at the same time unveiling UK marketing plans for this year.

The rating was carried out with the collaboration of the Comité Excepcional de Calificación, an exclusive panel made up of nine leading professionals from the spheres of hospitality and communication.

Each member of the Comité submitted an anonymous personal evaluation to the Plenary of the Regulatory Board of the Ribera del Duero DO. Taking into account the opinions of these professionals and internal reports from experts of the board, the Plenary made the decision to grade the 2020 harvest as excellent, said the DO.

“The 2020 harvest was long and very difficult, with rainy periods that forced grape-picking to stop on several occasions,” said Enrique Pascual, president of the Regulatory Board of the Ribera del Duero DO.

“Of course, because this most recent vintage unfolded during the pandemic, strict safety measures were put in place to ensure the safety of the workers. The professionalism and responsibility of wineries and winegrowers made for a calm vintage on the health side, but a little busier on the agricultural side; over 123 million kilos of high-quality grapes were picked during the harvest,” he said.

The DO described the wine from the 2020 vintage as “fresh, light, well-rounded and very expressive. Colour is abundant and the nose reflects intense fruity aromas.

“On the palate, there is good balance, with semi sweet tannins and medium alcohol. In short, delicious wines with a good freshness and lots of fruit”.

Moreover, the DO said it would continue to develop its marketing strategy in the UK, with an "exciting communications campaign” for 2021.

Spanning trade and consumer, PR and events, print and digital, the campaign will focus on raising the trade’s awareness of the DO’s wide range of wine styles, terroir and grapes.

The trade programme will kick off with a long table lunch in November, showcasing a selection of wines from across Ribera del Duero, as selected by Tim Atkin MW.

In addition, this year will also see the launch of a series of independent retailer promotions and online tastings to engage and educate both members of the wine trade and journalists.

In February, the DO launched an initiative to introduce over 60 additional wineries to the UK market following an uptick in interest in the region over the course of the pandemic.

Printer friendly version