Bierzo Wines

Bierzo is in the Castilla y León region of northern Spain. The wines were up until recently quite rustic and consumed almost solely in the local market. In the late 1990s Alvaro Palacios, who is credited with putting Priorat on the fine wine map, and his nephew Ricardo Pérez, managed to show the quality of Bierzo to the international market. Since then there's been a style and quality revolution.

The principal grape variety is Mencia which must be a minimum 70% of any red wine blend. It is however often made as a single varietal. It creates intense wines with ripe red cherry and plum fruit, sometimes with a floral or herbal note. The region has a significant number of old vines, which are associated with quality.