This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
The many years we’ve spent working in Ribera del Duero have allowed us to become
personally familiar with the main characteristics of this outstanding and exceptional area for
vine growing. We know its climate, its soil, the vines’ needs in every terroir, the potential of
the terroirs and, of course, the specific features of our region. Today, when we’re getting ever
closer to the harvest, we’re going to tell you about one of the most prominent features in the
summertime, one that has a strong influence on the final result of our wines: temperature
difference or variation. Want to find out what this means? Then keep reading!
When we say temperature variation, we’re talking about the difference in the temperatures
that the vineyard reaches over the course of a day, an element that means the vines ripen in a
very particular way. Despite the high temperatures we’ve been experiencing during this
atypical summer in Ribera del Duero, generally speaking, there is very significant temperature
variation between day and night in our region, easily reaching around 30 degrees of difference
between day and night during the summer.
If we think about ripening, specifically, over the course of the day, there’s generally enough
heat for the grapes to ripen, but if we usually have cool nights where the vegetative rhythm
stops, then we slow down this evolution a bit, making it easier to maintain that key component
in Arzuaga wines—the freshness and acidity.
So, in the vineyards we have at Arzuaga, we can see, for example, a clear difference between
our wines from Ribera del Duero and the Pago Florentino wines that come from Malagón
(Ciudad Real). That’s because in Malagón, the temperatures are warmer, meaning the growing
cycles are shorter.
And, as you know well and we’ve been telling you on this blog, the weather marks all the
phases of the vineyard: the budding, the flowering, the fruit set, the veraison… However, the
diurnal shift we’re talking about here is one of the most significant characteristics of Ribera del
Duero, not only due to the weather but also the place where we’re located and the altitude.
It’s something typical of Ribera that’s reflected in its wines.