Top U.S. Sommeliers Evaluate Ribera del Duero Wines in Vegas

NEW YORK, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Twelve of Las Vegas' top sommeliers joined Drink Ribera on April 2, for a memorable tasting of fourteen Ribera del Duero wines.  Drink Ribera. Drink Spain, the U.S. marketing campaign of the Consejo Regulador of Ribera del Duero, organized the event together with Tasting Panel Magazine to celebrate the campaign's inaugural workshop in Las Vegas.  Some of the most informed palates in the U.S. wine industry participated, including: Lucas Paya, Wine Director of Chef Jose Andres' Think Food Group; Douglas Kim, Sommelier, Aureole; Bretton Lammi, Resort Sommelier, The Cosmopolitan; Gabriel Garcia, Sommelier, Stripsteak at Mandalay Bay Hotel; and Lindsey Whipple, Sommelier, Cut by Wolfgang Puck at Palazzo Hotel Resort.

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Participants were challenged to taste the wines blind and to differentiate between the distinct wine styles of the acclaimed Ribera del Duero region. The primary grape variety on show was Spain's noble red grape, Tempranillo, which impressed tasters such as Meredith May, Executive Editor of Tasting Panel Magazine with its depth and range: "Ribera del Duero showcases the powerfully elegant side of Tempranillo, with structured, round tannins, rich earth tones and sensationally dense fruit. But with this broad assessment, our prestigious panel of Las Vegas tasters gained even more depth from their tasting experience of Ribera wines."

Ribera provides a benchmark for quality in the Spanish wine category, as noted by several of the participating sommeliers.  According to Michael Ploetz, General Manager of Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan: "There is a wide difference of styles but Ribera wines are exceptionally well-balanced.  It's unusual to find that in a single region."

Click here to read the complete Blind Tasting Report of Ribera del Duero wines as published in Tasting Panel Magazine.

With an extreme climate perfectly suited for quality grape growing, Ribera del Duero wines represent the pinnacle of Spanish winemaking and the ultimate expression of Spain's most noble red grape: Tempranillo. The northern Spanish wine region Ribera del Duero launched its first U.S. promotional campaign – Drink Ribera. Drink Spain. – in August 2009 to broaden awareness among trade, media and consumers. Ribera, which means "river bank," is defined in geographic and growing terms by the horizontal axis of the Duero River Valley. With Mediterranean and Continental influences, the Ribera climate is characterized by extremes; the region has the highest average elevation in Europe for growing vines, with hot summers, cold winters, a short growing season, minimal rainfall and soil diversity.

For more information about the Drink Ribera campaign and to learn more about the Drink Ribera event calendar, please contact Natasja Mallory, [email protected], (718) 403-9473, or visit www.drinkriberawine.com.  

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SOURCE Drink Ribera. Drink Spain.