Veuve Castell is produced by traditional Champenoise method in Bodegas Torrerubena (Cándido García) locates in Burgos on the gourmet route between Ribera del Duero and La Rioja wine regions in Spain. The city was also a major stopping point on the “Saint James Pilgrimage”, an ancient Christian pilgrimage that has various routes beginning in France, Austria and the UK, which all finish in the glorious Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.

Wine has been produced in the region for thousands of years, but viticulture as we know it probably arrived in the Ribera del Duero region with Benedictine monks from Cluny in the Burgundy region of France in the twelfth century.

Ribera del Duero wine making goes back over 2,000 years as evidenced by the 66-meter mosaic of Bacchus, the god of wine that was unearthed relatively recently at Baños de Valdearados.
Official seal of the Ribera del Duero denominación de origen (DO) The denominación de origen (D.O.) of Ribera del Duero was founded on July 21, 1982, by an organization of wine producers and growers who were determined to promote the quality of their wines and enforce regulatory standards. Reports that it was set to be upgraded to denominación de origen calificada (DOCa) status in 2008 proved to be unfounded and, as at 2011, it remains a DO and has no plans to change.

Ribero del Duero wines are currently enjoying greater popularity, thanks largely to the considerable interest shown in the area by experienced growers from other regions.

Wines produced in the Ribera del Duero DO derive almost exclusively from red grapes. The vast majority of production is dedicated to Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo[a]), the dominant red varietal in the northern half of the Spanish peninsula. Tinto Fino is often, but not always, complemented with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot, although the famous Tinto Pesquera, grown by Alejandro Fernández in Pesquera de Duero, is a 100% Tempranillo varietal wine. The introduction of Pesquera’s 100% Tinto Fino wine was, at the time, somewhat controversial, as the considered benchmark Vega Sicilia wines traditionally blended Tinto Fino with such Bordeaux varietals as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.

The DOP’s authorized red grapes are: Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Garnacha Tinta. The Albillo grape is the only authorized white variety grown, for white wines that mostly destined for local consumption.