Living the dream in Ribera del Duero: Mélida Boutique Wines

Mélida Wines, a family-owned winery, is in the golden mile of Ribera del Duero. What a pleasant surprise it was that our WineMine travels included Mélida Wines, a young boutique winery, located in the village of Mélida, near Peñafiel. This boutique winery is a place where dreams are realized. Here's to living the dream in Ribera del Duero wine country!

Mélida Boutique Winery, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

Welcome to Mélida Boutique Winery

The warmth of wine country travels was at its best when we arrived in Mélida, just a few kilometers from Peñafiel. Mélida Wines takes it name from the small town, of around thirty inhabitants, where the winery is located. It is a family wine project, which consists of a winery, a restaurant, and rural accommodations. It was founded by Miriam Valenti and her sister Silvia Herrera Redondo, who both have enology degrees from the University of Valladolid. They conceived of this wine project with the help of their father, Javier. Miriam’s husband, Fernando Valenti, an Argentinian native with extensive wine industry experience, is part of the team.

Welcome to Mélida Wines, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

Mélida Boutique Winery © Spaswinefood

Upon arrival Fernando and Miriam came to greet us.

Welcome to Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Soon we were touring the winery, and learning about how establishing the winery became a family project.

Overview of Mélida Project © Spaswinefood

That day, besides touring the winery, and doing a wine tasting, we enjoyed the very best gourmet lunch.

Winemakers, Mélida Winery © Spaswinefood

They produce wines with the Designation of Origin Ribera del Duero. Their global wine experience working in Argentina, Bordeaux, and New Zealand has influenced them to produce a unique style of elegant Ribera del Duero wines. What is amazing is that in a short time Mélida's wines have received excellent reviews by several prominent wine critics, such as Robert Parker, and Tim Atkin MW.

They produce artisanal wines from organically farmed and hand picked grapes. 

Mélida Winery, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

Mélida Winery © Spaswinefood

Here the focus is on producing high quality wines in small batches. They craft premium wines from vineyards in some of the most exciting areas of Ribera del Duero.

During the tour we were introduced to the wines that we would later enjoy during lunch.

Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

The wines are aged in neutral French oak barrels. Their goal is to avoid the heavy style of wine often characteristic of the region, by producing wines that reflect the origin of the grapes. The aim for their wines is to showcase the character of each vintage with, freshness, soft and round tannins, fruit on the nose, and soft and elegant on the palate. They use minimal intervention, short maceration, wild yeast and careful aging to achieve this. This requires careful attention to detail from harvest to bottle. Hence the wine is made in an artisanal way, in order to ensure quality. 

Learning about the Production of Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Conversing about Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

When the time came for barrel sampling it was such a delight.

Sampling Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Tasting Barrel Samples, Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

It was exciting to meet Fernando and Miriam and to taste the wines.

Tasting Wines with Our Hosts, Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Besides drawing from a strong knowledge base there is passion and determination behind the wine making at this boutique winery.

CHEERS! Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Next, we headed upstairs for lunch.

Table Ready, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Upstairs we gathered around a table where we would enjoy the wines over lunch.

Ready for Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

That spring afternoon we discovered that Miriam's sister, Silva is also an excellent chef.

Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

It was not long before we were all settled into a fabulous gourmet lunch. 

Lunch, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

We began with a rosé wine and a variety of cheeses.

Sampling Local Cheeses with Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

Of course the dishes that followed were delicious (photos below). 

Garbanzo Soup Plate, Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Garbanzo Soup Plate, Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Salad, Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Shrimp Taco,  Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Risotto,  Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Veggie Plate,  Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Pita & Hummus,  Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Meat Plate,  Mélida Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Of course there were amazing desserts.

Dessert Plate, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Dessert Plate, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Dessert Plate, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

These desserts were so tasty!

Disappearing Delight, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Of course, we did a great job on the desserts.

Lots of Dessert Plates, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

We had the most amazing gourmet lunch with fabulous Mélida Wines.

WineMine Dining, Mélida Wines Restaurant © Spaswinefood

The wines served during lunch were:

1. Mélida Wines, Párpados, DO Ribera del Duero 2020

Mélida Wines, Párpados, DO Ribera del Duero 2020 © Spaswinefood

Mélida Wines, Párpados, DO Ribera del Duero 2020 (back label) © Spaswinefood

2. Mélida Wines, Dos Alas Rojas, DO Ribera del Duero 2018

Mélida Wines, Dos Alas Rojas, DO Ribera del Duero 2018 © Spaswinefood

3. Mélida Wines, Eternauta DO Ribera del Duero 2020

Mélida Wines, Eternauta DO Ribera del Duero 2020 © Spaswinefood

Lookout for these wines you will not be disappointed. Our overall gastronomic experience here was spectacular! Dining at Mélida's restaurant is highly recommended.

Ribera del Duero

Indeed, I had come to experience today's Ribera del Duero first hand. Over three days, we visited a variety of wineries, ranging from boutique to large scale producers. In addition, our foodie adventures included traditional to modern style cuisine. Mélida Wines is an excellent example of boutique wine producers.

Ribera del Duero Wine Country © Spaswinefood

Ribera del Duero DO is located in northern Spain's Castilla y León region. There on the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, along the sides of the Duero River, the wine region occupies the southern plains of Burgos province, extends west to Valladolid, and into parts of Segovia and Doris provinces. The appellation received DO status in 1982. In 2008, it was approved for Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) status however, it never pursued this classification, so it remains a DO appellation. It is one of Spain's best red wine regions. It is known for its Tempranillo (Tinto Fino), which is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, up to 25 %. The appellation is almost exclusively red and rosado (rosé) wines. To be recognized as DO,  its red wines must contain a minimum of 75 % Tempranillo. No more than 5 % Garnacha or Albillo, in total, may be added. Its Rosado wines must have a minimum of 50 % of the authorized red varieties. The white wine produced, mostly for local consumption, is Albillo. DO regulations require at least 75 % of Albillo grapes be used.

For me, besides re-discovering the beauty of this region, I have become aware Ribera del Duero wines are changing. Mélida Wines is part of that change. Overall today's wines are more balanced and elegant than the earlier wines I have tasted from this region. Indeed  Ribera Del Duero is where the wine is oh so great and the poppies dot the landscape. 

Red Poppies, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

Spring time was perfect timing to checkout the wines, the cuisine and admire the landscape, dotted with poppies. During our Ribera del Duero travels many times we passed the historic castle on the hill overlooking Peñafiel.

Historic Castle, Peñafiel, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

For those interested in an exciting new wine project in Ribera del Duero then Melida Wines is a must. For me, besides enjoying the spring time beauty of Ribera del Duero, and learning about its long history and tradition of wine, it was exciting to experience new beginnings. Moreover, Mélida wines adds an important niche to the overall wine portfolio of Riberia del Duero. And yes, our gourmet dining experience at Mélida Wines Restaurant was fantastic. I invite you to join me in my wine travels in Spain and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my recent vine-filled explorations in Spain. 

CHEERS!

Sharon 

May 2023

Ribera del Duero, Spain 

© Spaswinefood

Mélida Wines © Spaswinefood

WineMine, Mélida Boutique Winery, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

Ribera del Duero Travels with WineMine Friends © Spaswinefood

Spring Time, Ribera del Duero © Spaswinefood

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