Change is coming to Ribera del Duero, with some of the most exciting wines now emerging from the region’s lesser-known cosecha category, reports Sarah Neish. In late October, a new advertising campaign for Ribera del Duero launched in the Spanish media, marking a step-change (and big cojones) from the fine wine region. In contrast to previous campaigns which emphasised “how nice we are in Ribera”, says Pablo Baquera, marketing director for the Consejo, the 20-second TV ad represents a new, unapologetic style of communicating with the consumer. In the advertisement, a young man can be seen ordering a glass of wine at a busy bar. “My first dart throw didn’t hit the bullseye,” he tells the audience conspiratorially. “In my first relationship, the chemistry wasn’t quite right. And my first wine… was not a Ribera del Duero.” The implication is that one rarely gets things right the first time, and if you haven’t been drinking Ribera del Duero wines up until now, you’ve probably still got your training wheels on. Is the Consejo worried about provoking the ire of other Spanish wine regions with this insinuation? “I don’t care if it annoys them,” Baquera says cheerfully. “Perhaps they can’t say this kind of thing, but we can.” The campaign suggests a new-found confidence radiating from the region. However, if Ribera del Duero wants a new generation of drinkers to take a slightly less circuitous path towards discovering its wines, it’s worth debunking a few myths first. Perhaps the biggest
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
