Sardón de Duero, a town near Valladolid, is the home of this avant-garde winery that is built on an estate called Santa María de Retuerta, which has a historical tradition of viniculture. It is situated in “El Pago” on the Golden Mile, a privileged geographical location between Tudela de Duero and Peñafiel, where the most prestigious brands of Spanish wine, such as Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Alion, Mauro or H. Monasterio are found.

What are ‘vinos de pago’ or 'single quinta' wines? They are wines which guarantee that the grapes originate exclusively from a particular vine and therefore, encompass the virtues of specific vines, a plot of land and a particular and exceptional microclimate.

The winery’s name “Abadía Retuerta” is the result of two words that define and describe the territory: Rivola Torta (riverside /winding river bank), a Latin name that developed over time into Retuerta and that gave its name to the XII Century Abbey located on the estate, which has an incalculable historical value.

The estate has 700 hectares, of which 204 correspond to the vineyard, which is distributed on a succession of hillsides, that range from a maximum altitude of 850 metres to the southern bank of the river Duero. The remainder of the estate comprises a farm, a wood and scrublands.

The winery has its own vineyard where technology and innovation prevail. It only uses grapes from its vines to produce the wines. A detailed geological study enabled replanting and revealed a great variety of soils, where the majority of the world’s great vines are represented. The soils range from stony gravel to plots dominated by clay. The high part of the hillside is calcareous and the area close to the river is essentially sandy and pebbly (gravel), with a higher proportion of clay as we get closer to the river Duero itself. Each of the 54 plots that make up the vineyard are controlled individually and different cultural techniques applied for each one of them, according to the specific needs: type of soil, variety and temperature. This analysis of plots and the vinification controls permit the production of wines that are clearly differentiated due to their production processes, as well as the characteristics that the subsoil confers to the wine.

Abadía Retuerta produces and commercialises eight brands that are the end result of the work philosophy and the care of the land: Primicia comes from the coolest soils on the estate; Rívola reflects the winery’s good work, the twelve months spent in oak casks contribute harmony to the tannins; Cuvée Palomar offers a rich taste and exotic aromas; On occasion, the winery elaborates a limited production of outstanding quality terroir wines: Pago Negralada, comes from a Tempranillo vine planted in clay, pebbled and alluvium soils from the River Duero, that after 24 months in oak casks, evokes the Tempranillo’s maturity; Pago Valdebellón, a Cabernet Sauvignon variety, comes from calcareous terroir, whose microclimate determines its special dark colour and mineral aromas; and PV (Petit Verdot) is a wine that has a very limited production, it is elegant, refined and subtle. But the winery’s benchmark wine is the Selección Especial, as the highest quality batches of grapes from the best Tempranillo plots have been used to produce it. It is the perfect wine to drink with poultry, red and white meat and fresh fish. Abadía Retuerta Selección Especial 2001, earned the highest award in the International Wine Challenge 2005, held in London, where this wine was internationally recognised as The Best Red Wine in the World and The Best Spanish Red Wine.