What is "bierzo"

Bierzo is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines located in the northwest of the province of León ( Castile and León, Spain) and covers about 3,000 km². It borders on the provinces of Ourense, Lugo and Oviedo in the north and in the south on areas of La Montaña, la Cabrera and La Meseta, in Léon. The area consists of numerous small valleys in the mountainous part ( Alto Bierzo) and of a wide, flat plain ( Bajo Bierzo). The DO covers 23 municipalities including the largest town of the area, Ponferrada (population about 70,000).