The vineyard
The beauty of nature
Drinking a bottle of our wine is like drinking a part of the landscape of the Ribera del Duero region. Our entire vineyard is certified as organic. Our farming practices focus on promoting and maintaining biodiversity, carefully working the land on which our vines grow. We see winegrowing and looking after the vineyard as another part of our diverse ecosystem, maintaining the natural cover of the soil throughout the cycle and avoiding the use of insecticides to protect the crop. It is our way of protecting and enriching the origin of our wine, its mark.
Every great wine has a specific, precise origin, a truly special place in which it is born. Comenge is the reflection of a small and beautiful place in the wonderful and incomparable Ribera del Duero region.
The climate
The climate in the Ribera del Duero region is one of its kind in the world. The long, cold winters make the growing cycle of the vine shorter than usual, thus limiting production. This means value-added for Bodegas Comenge because we always seek the highest quality of the grape rather than high production levels.
Temperature differences are significant: maximum temperatures can reach 42ºC in summer and fall to -20ºC in winter. During the ripening period, differences between day and night temperatures can be up to 20º. A good hydric balance of the plant, the water stress that affects the vine in summer and the temperature differences during the days before the harvest favour and speed up the accumulation of tannins and colour in the grapes, helping the racemes ripen to perfection.
The soil
The lie of the land is another unique feature of the Ribera del Duero region and influences how the weather conditions affect the vineyard each year. In the west of the Designation of Origin, which is where Bodegas Comenge is located, there is a wide variety of terrains ranging from moors, hills, slopes, terraces and open countryside; the orientation of the estates is also important. The 32 hectares of the Bodegas Comenge vineyard are positioned on the slopes of Curiel and Pesquera de Duero, between 780 and 880 metres above sea level, making it the best site for the vineyard thanks to its excellent capacity for retaining soil moisture and the reduced risk of suffering the dreaded frosts.
Another unique feature of the soil in the Ribera del Duero region is the wide variety of materials involved. On the same estate, it is common to distinguish four or five different soils: areas with a predominance of limestone, sandy strips, soils of greyish tones or reddish soils. This diversity of materials can be seen in the characteristics of the grapes, combining to create a unique wine.
The vineyards
Grape varieties
Tempranillo
The essence of the Ribera del Duero region
Tempranillo is the Spanish variety par excellence. And the most representative wines of the Ribera del Duero region come from this variety. It is a delicate grape but has character, is elegant, noble, balanced, complex and capable of giving us the best wines if it is cared for properly.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The queen of red varieties
Highly valued for its great ability to adapt to all kinds of climates, it is native to the region of Bordeaux in France, but today it is grown all over the world. It ripens late and is ideal for temperate zones with mild autumns. Wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon have an intense, deep and solid colour.
Verdejo
The stock variety of Rueda wines
Verdejo is a white grape variety of much tradition in Spain. It is a white grape of great quality and is found in different regions of Spain; however, where this Verdejo variety is the real queen and gives wines their personality is on the banks of the River Douro in the Rueda Designation of Origin.