Bierzo, increasingly fashionable small do region in north west Spain (see map under spain) which administratively forms part of castilla y león. However, the River Sil, which bisects it, is a tributary of the Miño (Minho in Portugal) and the wines have more in common with those of galicia than those of the douro 140 km/88 miles to the south. Sheltered from the climatic excesses of the Atlantic and the central plateau, Bierzo shows promise as a wine region. The mencía grape is capable of producing balanced, fruity red wines in well-drained soils on the slate and granite of this part of Spain.
