Technical sheet
Winery: Banisio
D.O. Rueda
Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
Alcohol: 13.0 % vol.
Tasting notes
Pale yellow in color with greenish hues.
On the nose, it shows an expressive aromatic profile balanced by pleasant acidity. Exotic fruits and freshly cut grass. Very mineral.
On the palate, it has perfect freshness, typical of the variety. Intense, persistent, and rounded structure.
Serving temperature: 7-10º C
Geology and Soil
The grapes used to make this wine come from a 9 Ha plot located in a privileged area at 750 meters above sea level.
Brown soils, rich in calcium and magnesium, easy to work and stony, with good aeration and drainage and limestone outcrops at the highest elevations. Permeable and healthy, their texture ranges from sandy-silty. The pH of these soils ranges between 7 and 8. This geological substrate has evolved on the surface into brown soils over stony allochthonous deposits, giving rise to the typical “gravelly” terrains: brown soils over stony allochthonous deposits, with good drainage.
The difference in temperature between day and night is the secret of its flavor: the sugar gained from the sun is balanced by the acidity retained during the cool nights. The vines withstand sun exposure of up to 2,600 hours per year, an amount that would be excessive were it not for the late ripening of the grapes. Considering its latitude, D.O. Rueda would be located within the Mediterranean arc, but because of its altitude between 700 and 800 m, and annual rainfall that rarely reaches 500 liters, it is considered to have a Continental influence.
Winemaking
The grapes are harvested through selective picking, always at night; minutes later, they are macerated for 10 hours at low temperature before being pneumatically pressed. To preserve all the aromas this variety provides, alcoholic fermentation also takes place at low temperature. Aging is carried out in the bottle.
Pairing
At Made in Spain Gourmet, we recommend it with mussels such as those from Bou de Vara and Conservas Nosa, prawns, and oysters. It is ideal for appetizers and pairs perfectly with rice, such as those from Dehesa de la Albufera, and fish. It also pairs with semi-cured sheep’s cheeses from Calaveruela and Quesería 1605, as well as vegan cheeses like those from Veggie Karma.
D.O. RUEDA
The Rueda Designation of Origin was recognized on January 12, 1980 by order of the Ministry of Agriculture, becoming the first Designation of Origin recognized in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, after several years of work toward the recognition and protection of its native variety: Verdejo.
“The area covered by D.O. Rueda specializes in the production of white wines.”
The Rueda Designation of Origin has very favorable natural conditions for producing high-quality wines, as an area specializing in the production of internationally renowned white wines. Likewise, since August 5, 2008, red and rosé wines have also been covered by the Rueda Designation of Origin.
The production area covered by D.O. Rueda is located in the Community of Castilla y León and comprises 74 municipalities, of which 53 are in the south of the province of Valladolid, 17 in the west of Segovia, and 4 in the north of Ávila.
The different grape varieties grown are distributed irregularly across the various municipalities that make up D.O. Rueda. However, the vineyard reaches its greatest concentration and intensity in the municipalities of La Seca, Rueda, and Serrada. It is the Verdejo vineyard that occupies the largest area.
The Verdejo grape has lived for more than ten centuries in the Rueda Designation of Origin. Its character is defined by its aroma and flavor, with hints of low scrubland herbs, fruity touches, and excellent acidity.
Extract, a personality factor in great white wines, is perceptible through its volume and characteristic bitter touch, which projects a flash of originality on the palate, accompanied by great fruit expression.
They are wines of great harmony, whose lingering impression after passing through the palate invites you to continue tasting.
Continental Climate
D.O. Rueda rises between 700 and 870 meters above sea level, with flat yet high lands that endure cold, very long winters, short springs with late frosts, and hot, dry summers, only interrupted by untimely storms. This factor forces the vines to seek their water resources deep underground, more so than in other areas of Europe.
Budbreak is usually late, with pruning work sometimes continuing until March or early April. Rainfall is scarce, reaching annual lows of 300 liters and highs of 500 liters.
In the past, at the end of winter, a hollow was dug around the vine to collect spring water.
At the beginning of summer, a “cobijo” was made by piling the soil back around the vine and often burying it up to halfway to protect it from summer evaporation. Today, improvements in cultivation and the introduction of drip irrigation compensate for these tasks, which are impossible to carry out nowadays.
On the other hand, the difference in temperature between day and night is the secret of the balance between the sugar the grape gains from the sun and the acidity it does not lose during the cool night hours. Sun exposure reaches 2,600 hours per year, which would be excessive were it not for the late ripening of the grape.
Due to its latitude, the Rueda area lies within the Mediterranean sphere. However, because of its altitude, it is considered to have continental influence.
Gravelly Soil
D.O. Rueda is located in the central sector of the depression formed by the Duero River, creating a high plateau with gentle reliefs and slopes exposed to Atlantic winds. Wide alluvial and diluvial terraces stretch along the banks of the Duero and its tributaries, the Trabancos, Zapardiel, and Adaja.
Brown soils, rich in calcium and magnesium, easy to work and stony, with good aeration and drainage, and limestone outcrops at the highest points of the undulations. Permeable and healthy, their texture ranges from sandy-silty to silty.
The pH of these soils ranges between 7 and 8. This geological substrate has evolved on the surface into brown soils over stony allochthonous deposits, giving rise to the typical “gravelly” terrains where the best vineyards of D.O. Rueda are planted.
White grape varieties
D.O. Rueda is one of the few European wine regions specializing in the production of white wine and in the protection and development of its native variety, Verdejo.
The strong personality of Verdejo (the main variety), the incorporation of other varieties, and a vineyard that has learned to survive the harshness of its almost hostile environment in order to give the wine its very best, all define the profile of Rueda white wines.
The varieties have appeared throughout the history of D.O. Rueda. In the 1930s, the Palomino Fino variety began to be planted in the area, the origin of flor-aged fortified wines, with higher yields than other varieties and capable of producing wines similar to those of Jerez, which were in high demand at the time. It thus became the majority variety in the Medina region at that time (the C.R.D.O. Rueda does not allow new plantings of this variety). It is a variety that produces light wines with low acidity, very suitable for making wines with biological aging.
The Viura variety, with its Rioja reputation, began to be cultivated in the 1950s, a period when the classic white wine model involved wooden barrels. This variety provided an aristocratic touch to Castilian table wine, at a time when the virtues of Verdejo had yet to be discovered and it was cultivated at the same time for both fortified and everyday wines. It is used in white wines to provide greater lightness and a touch of acidity.
Sauvignon Blanc (the main variety) made its appearance in the 1970s. Originally from France’s Loire region, it adds a floral component with aromas of grapefruit and passion fruit, in contrast to the flinty touch of Loire Sauvignon, differences due mainly to the greater number of hours of sunshine when compared with the Loire and Bordeaux. However, they share a short vegetative period, which in the French region is due to its northern latitude and in the Castilian region to its altitude. D.O. Rueda was a pioneer in the adoption of this French variety, bringing a modern and international character to this region.
Viognier, authorized in 2019, is a variety that contributes aromas of stone fruit and honey with Muscat-like hints.
Chardonnay, authorized in 2019, is a variety of medium-low aromatic intensity that brings notes of ripe fruit to wines and, over time, can express aromas of butter and walnut.