Bierzo is a region in Northeast Spain that has potential to do amazing things with the Mencia grape. It is a relatively recent wine region in Spain formed in the early 1990s.

Mencia is a grape variety that traditionally produced light, pale, relatively fragrant red wines for early consumption. More recent hillside plantings and careful vineyard management have produced bigger wines of greater depth and ageworthiness that are making waves on the world stage. It is thought to be identical to Portugal's Jaen grape variety.