In the heart of Ribera del Duero, where the Duero River cuts through a landscape of sunlit plateaus and cool nighttime breezes, Tinto Pesquera has become one of Spain’s most emblematic wine estates. Founded in 1972 by Alejandro Fernández and his wife Esperanza Rivera, the winery began humbly—in a restored 16th-century stone winepress in the village of Pesquera de Duero. What followed would forever reshape the story of Spanish Tempranillo.

At a time when Ribera del Duero had little global recognition, Fernández believed deeply in the region’s potential. His single-minded focus on the Tempranillo grape, known locally as Tinto Fino, and his refusal to rely on blending or compromise, helped establish a style that was at once bold and refined. In 1982, just a decade after Tinto Pesquera was founded, Ribera del Duero was granted Denominación de Origen status—a milestone to which the estate’s early successes directly contributed.

Today, the winery farms over 200 hectares of estate vineyards. Planted in a patchwork of sandy, gravelly soils over limestone and clay, the vines draw character from their varied terroir and from the region’s pronounced continental climate. Hot days and cold nights preserve acidity and structure, allowing for wines of both ripeness and poise.

Tinto Pesquera’s range is built around the expression of Tempranillo. The Crianza, aged for 18 months in American oak, is plush and inviting, with ripe red fruit, spice, and subtle smoke. The Reserva introduces greater depth, offering layers of blackberry, tobacco leaf, and dried herbs. At the pinnacle is the Janus Gran Reserva, produced only in exceptional vintages. It is a wine of profound concentration, aged patiently, and built to last for decades.

The style remains unmistakably Pesquera: deeply colored, full-bodied, structured yet never overbearing. Oak is used judiciously, fermentation is traditional, and elegance always tempers power.

Now guided by the second generation of the Fernández Rivera family, Tinto Pesquera continues to uphold its founder’s vision. It is not just a benchmark for Ribera del Duero—it is a symbol of what belief in place, grape, and persistence can yield.