Tierra de Léon is a Spanish
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the south of the province of
León, in
Castile and León,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, and covers an area of 3,317 km
2 at an altitude of approximately 900 m above sea level. The area attained its D.O. status on 27 July 2007.
History
Grape cultivation was probably introduced by the
ancient Romans
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 ...
. The area benefited from being at the crossroads of two important routes: The
Way of Saint James
The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...
, the pilgrimage route running east to west from France to
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
, and the Ruta de la Plata, running north–south between the silver mines of the Cantabrian coast and the southern port of
Cadiz.
Around the 10th century, the main economic activities of the region were cereal production and milling, along with grape growing and winemaking, which was practiced in the monasteries of different religious orders. Production increased steadily over the centuries until 1887 which is when the
phylloxera virus destroyed most of the vineyards of the area. Production did not pick up again until the 1920s.
In 1985, a group of producers applied for DO status based on the promotion of the local autochthonous grape variety known as
Prieto Picudo.
Climate
The area has a continental climate (long, hot dry summers; cold winters). Temperatures in winter often fall below 0°C and there is frequent frosts and fog.
Soils
Alluvial soil, good drainage, poor in organic matter.
Varieties
* The recommended red grapes are:
Prieto Picudo and
Mencía; also authorized are
Tempranillo
Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...
and
Garnacha.
* The recommended white grapes are:
Verdejo
Verdejo is a variety of wine grape that has long been grown in the Rueda region of Spain. The grape originated in North Africa, and was spread to Rueda in about the 11th Century, possibly by Mozarabs. Verdejo was generally used to make a strongl ...
,
Albarín blanco, and
Godello
Godello is a white variety of wine grape grown in northwestern Spain, in particular in Galicia. The Gouveio found in northern Portugal is thought to be the same grape variety.
The origins of Godello variety are located in the town of Godella ...
; also authorized are
Malvasía
Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...
and
Palomino.
See also
*
Spanish wine
Spanish wine () includes red, white, and sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 1.2 million hectares (2.9 million acres) planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely pla ...
*
Leonese cuisine
Leonese cuisine is a sub category of Spanish food that is considered to be very exotic and caloric.
Embutidos
*'' Cecina'' from León is beef. In Leonese, ''cecina'' means "meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke". ''Ce ...
*
Cuisine of the province of Valladolid
The gastronomy of the province of Valladolid comprises the meals, their preparation, and the culinary habits of the province of Valladolid. It is based on barbecued and roast food, especially roasted Spanish cuisine. Wines of high qualit ...
References
External links
D.O. Tierra de León official website
{{Spanish wine regions
Wine regions of Spain
Province of Valladolid
Province of León