Rueda means the modern-style white wines of Spain. In comparison with Albariños who are citric and light bodied Rueda wine show riper fruit (melon, peach) and they are medium or full in body.

Its history goes back until the XIVth century and nowadays there are 29 wineries located here, mainly in the provinces of Valladolid and Segovia. It occupies an area of 6.000 hectares of vineyard, predominating over the variety Verdejo and is distributed by 72 municipalities of the provinces of Valladolid and the neighbouring provinces Segovia and Avila.

The high degree of specialization achieved in the production of white wines, together with the use of a noble variety of Verdejo grapes which are native and cultivated exclusively in the region, makes Rueda the emblem of the white wines of Spain.


   

More than 2000 years ago, the Romans introduced in Spain the vine and the wine and, with it, the whole civilization that has marked the life of the Mediterranean countries until today.
The life together around a plaza, the appreciation for the good food and for the good wine became a trait of the Spanish culture since then.
 
After the Romans, other peoples have settled in Spain, enriching the culture and the gastronomy of the peninsula. The Arabs came to Castile in the VIII century, bringing the vine of the white Grape "Verdejo". Today, the variety Verdejo has turned into the predominant grape in the Rueda Designation of Origin.
 
After the discovery of America, the Spanish Court reaches its maximum splendor and this contributed to the big development of the wine-growing in the area of the river Duero and especially in the Rueda environments. It was during those times when the galleries of Bodegas Mocén were built.



Placed in a high plateau of soft reliefs, the Denomination of Origin Rueda extends its vineyards along typically stony wide areas, an exceptional habitat for the variety Verdejo. The influence of the river Duero, the long winters with frequent late frosts and the extremely dry and warm summers are factors that determine the characteristics or Rueda.

The rain is scarce in Rueda. It is about 480mm annually within an average of 83 rainy days per year. This factor forces the vines to search for water resources deep underground, much more than in other European regions. 2.800 hours/year of sun allows the vines to develop an intense photosynthetic activity.
The difference between day and night temperatures is key to the balance the grape must have between the sugar provided by the sun and the acidity it does not lose during the cooler nights.

The estate of Bodegas Mocén is located at 700metres above sea level on one of the terraces of the left-hand margin of the hydrographical basin of the Duero. It is fertile vine-growing land par excellence, made up of alluvial soil with small pebbles, clay and sandstone, which protect the vine form extreme temperatures and provide the humidity required for their development during summer.

There are 300 hectares of land planted with the most modern espalier techniques, drip feed irrigation, organic irrigation and mechanized harvesting, in an estate that is fenced off for its embellishment, and in which our autochthonous varieties are grown.