Abadia Retuerta

The former monastery Abadia Retuerta is located in the municipality of Sardon de Duero.

Winery Abadia Retuerta - The Abbey on the Duero

The well-known river, which flows into the Atlantic in Portugal, was for a long time the border between Christian Castile and the Moorish south of Spain. The border location of the monastery made it, during the time of the Reconquista, both an important defensive and economic center. The monastery, founded by the Premonstratensian order, was rich in land and already in the High Middle Ages planted the first vineyards with vines that the second abbot of the monastery had brought from Burgundy.

A look at the present

Today, in addition to Tempranillo, French grape varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are also cultivated. All of these are harvested by hand and sorted on sorting tables to ensure the best quality. The entire estate of Abadia Retuerta is divided into 54 plots, each with different soils. The berries harvested there are all fermented in small vats, which has the advantage that the cuvées and varietal wines can be composed perfectly.

Work, peace and hospitality at Abadia Retuerta

The Abadia Retuerta winery still follows the order of work, peace and hospitality practiced by the monks, even though the monastery now follows more secular regulations than was the case in the time of the monks. But just like them, the winemakers at Abadia Retuerta work in harmony with nature and observe the rules of biodiversity – for example, within 15 years they have planted more than 60,000 pines on the 700 hectares of monastery property.

The grape varieties

The following grape varieties, among others, are cultivated at the Abadia Retuerta winery:

• Tempranillo
• Syrah
• Petit Verdot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Godello
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Verdejo