Founded in 1998, Bodega Numanthia, located in Valdefinjas, Castile and León, in the Northwest of Spain, is a veritable emblem of the Toro region wines.
Bodega Numanthia is living tribute to the fearless warriors of Numancia in Spain, whose inhabitants heroically resisted the Roman army for 20 years in 134 B.C. and finally preferred to sacrifice their lives rather than surrender.
This resilience is also found in the Toro wines in a region with longstanding traditions in winemaking and viticulture. These vineyards were planted by pioneer families centuries ago, back in roman times and since then, they have shown resilience surviving the phylloxera plague during the XIXth century and the extreme climate conditions typical of the region year after year. During the Middle ages, Toro wines were also the first in the world to travel to the Americas, carried on Christopher Columbus’ ships in 1492.
All shaped in bush vines and ungrafted, some of our vines are reaching up to 200 years old and are spread all around the Denomination of Origin Toro in distinctive terroirs.
Bodega Numanthia was the first estate to understand the potential of the Toro region and to reveal an outstanding Spanish terroir to the world, bringing the most beautiful expression of the timeless Tinta de Toro grape variet
Our vines, growing in a sandy and rocky soil, are a living symbol of resilience. They have been able to resist to time despite no irrigation being used, having to develop their roots up to 5 meters to reach the much-needed water.
Living embodiments of tenacity, they are strong in the face of the sharpest winter and the heaviest summer’s suffocating heat, one famous saying refers to as “nine months of winter, three months of hell”.
Our vineyards are a patchwork of over one hundred tiny plots, ensuring complexity and richness. Our vines are very old, some dating back to 200 years.
Preserving this unique patrimony is at the heart of our philosophy. All of the work in the vineyards are entirely manual in order to maintain the balance of the vines and the quality of the grapes. Our vines are dry-farmed and are managed organically and no pesticides are used.
Bodega Numanthia produces three expressions of a unique single varietal, Tinta de Toro, an autochthonous and rare grape variety said to be “the blackest of black grapes” and renowned for its concentration, balanced tannins and elegant notes.
Member of the Tempranillo family, the Tinta de Toro has adapted successfully to the Toro terroir producing very low yields, among the lowest in the world (<2000kg/Ha), ensuring high concentration, expressive wines and impressive quality.
The estate is an untapped diamond, raw and requiring expert hands to cultivate and shape the complex and elegant aromas of its wines.
We manage a patchwork of 200 parcels across the Toro D.O., located on either side of the Duero River. The diversity of these scattered vineyards ensures a wide range of terroir expressions. Bodega Numanthia is the ONLY winery in Toro that represents so fully the D.O. Toro, being rich from its 8 terroirs types, embodying the full diversity of the denomination.
Each terroir has its own characteristics - soil, altitude, microclimate - and provide a distinctive expression of Tinta de Toro. Parcels are vinified separately before being carefully blended by the winemaking team. The result is a wine with a unique balance of elegance and power.
We are at our very heart preservationists. The entirety of our operation is dedicated to making wines that honestly reflect the spare bounty of these vineyards. When you drink a wine from Bodega Numanthia we want you to savor the fruit of our diversity of climate, terroir and ancient vines which together create wines of uncommon texture, vibrance and beauty.
Exceptionally aromatic with aromas of violets, hints of blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum on the nose. There is some spice that is balanced with fresh acidity and minerality. A long finish with ripe but firm tannins.
Dow's Senhora da Ribeira can be enjoyed anytime and pairs wonderfully with chocolate desserts and soft cheeses like creamy Stilton or Roquefort.
Review:
Rich and fruity, this wine is packed with intense black-currant flavors. It is perfumed, ripe with a good tannic background. The density of the wine and the firm structure point to a long aging process. Drink this beautifully structured wine from 2026.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Winemaking: Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Three granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001. It has long been recognised that traditional treading produced some of the finest Ports, but there are some drawbacks involved in traditional treading; temperature control is difficult, there is a limit to how long people are willing to tread and they need to sleep. The winemaker’s options are therefore limited, he or she cannot order treading at different times through the night, or pull people off the picking team at will. Furthermore, emptying the traditional lagar takes a long time; in the meantime the fermentation process is accelerating away. A further handicap arose over recent years, when an increasing scarcity of labour obliged producers to look for less labour-intensive vinification solutions. The Symingtons opted to devise a mechanical means of replicating the proven method of foot treading. The result was the Symington ‘robotic lagar’, an automated treading machine which exactly replicates the gentle action of the human foot and which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. This equipment is very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in these automated lagares. Approximately half of the wines for Dow’s much praised 2003 Vintage were vinified in them. The Senhora da Ribeira’s Quinta Vintage Ports have amassed a highly impressive number of awards: three Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge, (2008, 2006 and 2001, for the 2005, 2002 and 1999 Vintages, respectively) as well as seven Silver Medals and two Gold Medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, 2008 for the 2005 Vintage and 2002 for the 1998 Vintage). In September 2006, Jancis Robinson MW wrote, “One very exciting new bottling is Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2004...this single quinta bottling demonstrates superb quality with wonderful vibrancy. Great wine in any context - not that unlike some California reds! This is definitely a wine to look out for when it is released.” Wine Profile The very hot climate through the summer at this vineyard results in highly complex and concentrated wines but very low yields. Colours of the musts in the fermentation tanks are always purple-black due to the very high skin to juice ratio. The old vines add further to the intensity of the wine as they make up a very large percentage of the vineyard. The resulting wine can be described as being the essence of Vintage Port, with powerful wild red-fruit flavours, leading into rich black chocolate notes, the whole balanced by complex, attractive and peppery tannins.
One of the Douro’s most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim in the remote Douro Superior. The vineyard commands a magnificent north bank position, overlooking a broad sweep of the Douro, directly opposite another famous Symington owned vineyard: Quinta do Vesuvio. Senhora de Ribeira was built close to an ancient river crossing, guarded by two 12th century castles on either side of the river built by the Moors during their centuries long occupation of Iberia. A small chapel dedicated to the ‘Lady of the River’ (literally: Senhora da Ribeira) has stood here for centuries and gave the quinta its name. Travellers would pause here to ask for a safe river passage and onward journey.
Senhora da Ribeira’s wines are some of the finest in the Douro and they complement those from Bomfim in the composition of Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating.
As with Bomfim, the consistency of the climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity. As with Quinta do Bomfim, the best Ports from Senhora de Ribeira are used to make Dow’s Vintage Ports in the great and rare ‘Declared’ years. In the good year’s when Dow’s does not ‘declare’ a Vintage, the best wines of ‘The Lady of the River’ are bottled as Dow’s Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port. They will tend to mature a little earlier than the very rare ‘Declared’ years, but can be every bit as good as some other Vintage Ports.
On the palate, it reveals a fresh attack followed by an ample, structured, long-lasting finish. The wine unfurls in successive stages and ends with top-quality tannins produced by whole cluster fermentation. It features aromas and flavors of smoked ham, violet, graphite, graphite, and licorice.
Review:
A refined, fine-textured and precise Cote-Rotie with aromas of cherries, wild berries, wild herbs, bark and baking spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. There is a vibrant and spicy character at the center, with a succulent, precise and lively expression toward the long finish. Try after 2026.
