📍 Cigales

Cigales is a wine zone in Castilla y León, north of Valladolid, on both banks of the Pisuerga river. It includes several communes, among them Cigales itself, Dueñas and Cabezón de Pisuerga. The area covers about 574 square kilometres, at an altitude of about 750 metres above sea level. The appellation was created in 1991.

The climate is continental, with hot summers, cold winters and sharp temperature swings, joined by the influence of Atlantic air. Like other districts in this part of Spain, Cigales supplied wine to Valladolid and other cities from the Middle Ages.

The main product is rosé (rosado) and the darker "clarete". They are made from Tempranillo, called tinto del país here, and Garnacha. Red wines are made too.

The zone is known for rosés, which have been made here since long ago, and it is they that made Cigales recognisable. They are fresh, fruity wines that suit light food and hot weather. Cigales lies next to the better-known Ribera del Duero but is completely different in character: the focus here is on rosé rather than powerful reds.