Ribera del Andarax is a Vino de la Tierra title used in a mountainous area of Andalucia, southern Spain. The name Ribera del Andarax means 'banks of the Andarax', and refers to the Andarax river which flows through the area.
Ribera del Andarax is nestled in south-eastern Andalucia among four other VTs, Laujar-Alpujarra, Altiplano de Sierra Nevada, Sierras de las Estancias y los Filabres and Desierto de Almeria, which it borders to the west, north-west, north-east and east respectively. Ribera del Andarax achieved VT status in 2003.
Andalucia has long been a region of winemaking, a tradition believed to have been introduced by the Phoenicians and continued by the Romans and then – after disruptions during the rule of the Islamic Moors – the Christians. Remnants of winemaking equipment have been found within the Ribera del Andarax region that date back to at least the 16th Century.
As in much of the rest of Spain, phylloxera decimated the local wine industry in the 19th Century. But thanks to winemaking and consumption being so embedded in the local culture, much of the region was replanted. The industry here received a further boost when new varieties were permitted and improvements were made to winemaking equipment.
Ribera del Andarax is a particularly mountainous part of Spain, and the VT zone occupies part of the Cordillera Penibetica (Penibetica mountain range), whose highest peak reaches 7,380 feet (2,250m). Vineyards sit lower than this, at between 2,295 feet and 3,280 feet (700-1000m). Altitude has a dramatic influence on the vines, lengthening the ripening season and improving fruit quality. Soils are composed of slate, clay and sandstone, each imparting its character on the wine.
Local wine law permits blanco (white), rosado (rosé) and young and aged tinto (red) wines to be bottled under the Ribera del Andarax VT label. The wines must all be dry, with low levels of residual sugar allowed. Blancos are made from Chardonnay, Macabeo and Sauvignon Blanc and should be fresh and clean, with aromas of green fruits. Tintos and rosados can be made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Wine law stipulates that rosados must be light and fruit. Reds may either be joven (young) with low tannins and ripe-fruit flavors, or aged. The latter should be rounder, and more abundant in tannins and complexity. Reds are certainly the most common wines to emerge from Ribera del Andarax.
