Home to the world’s largest vineyard area, Spain boasts a winegrowing history that is ancient and discontinuous. Several events throughout its three millennia of viticulture have threatened the industry, including the Moorish conquest of Iberia, the phylloxera crisis, a devastating Civil War, and several decades under a fascist regime, during which winemaking customs lost favor to bulk production and cooperatives. Today, Spain’s languages, cultures, and food and wine traditions remain distinct—long after the country's unification in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
Spain’s heritage styles—its deep-hued rosados, nutty rancios, and slowly aged gran reservas—are now joined by more contemporary aesthetics. While some growers have adapted to a modern palate, others hold to tradition. Others still seek to reimagine classic Spanish wines for the 21st century, reclaiming indigenous grape varieties and marrying innovation to ancestry. Born from these varied philosophical approaches is a Spanish wine industry equipped with the diversity and talent to capture new generations of consumers while safeguarding a long-cherished identity.
Anthropological studies have found trace evidence of Vitis vinifera in Spain dating as early as 3000 BCE. Fragments of vine wood and other vestiges of ancient grapes have been identified at three sites in Southern Spain. The introduction of viticulture to Iberia, however, is widely attributed to the Phoenicians, who arrived and established what would become Cádiz in today’s Andalucía approximately
Hey, Beatrice! DO Pagos are single-estate appellations that the producer can exclusively use. That being said, producers are welcome to make wines in other appellations as long as they are within the designations and follow the rules. It is quite common for Vino de Pago producers to do this. Outside of their own DO pago, Chozas Carrascal makes wines under the DOs of Cava and Utiel-Requena.
Hello, is it true that Chozas Carrascal can use DO Cava within the Vino de PAgo?
Spanish Wine Scholar lists these 3 as Vinya Classificada:1. Coma Blanca (Mas d'en Gil)2. Clos Fontà (Mas d'en Gil)3. Clos MogadorAnd with some hunting I also discovered:4. Coma de Cases (Mas Doix)
Hey Steve! We are in the midst of getting this graphic updated. Thanks!,
The text says there are currently 26 Vino de Pagos as of 2025.. .. But there are only 21 on the list, what are the missing 5?
The first paragraph is wrong. The system went into effect in 2019 and is valid for wines that can prove traceability to 2017. I wouldn't rely too much on any other sites for information (minus mine of course as I'm based in region and taste everything each year) and what scant info the Consell puts out although there are more VC and even more VdP wines. Velles Vinyes one should steer further clear of as many will write the reverse of Vinyes Velles which is fine, but it isn't backed up by documentation.
The Priorat Gran Vinya Clasificada went into effect in Spring of 2021, with three wines being awarded status: “Mas de la Rosa” by Vall Llach, “1902, Tossal d’en Bou” by Mas Doix and “L’Ermita” by Álvaro Palacios. Source here from DOQ Priorat. There are some other, seemingly much less official sites out there that list some wines as Vinya Clasificada and go into more detail on the requirements for those categories, but I've never been able to find official documentation on that. The link above states there are 3 wines classed as Vinya Clasificada and 10 as Velles Vinyes, anyone have a listing of those? Miquel Hudin
Hey Vivian! Great question Malaga DO Vino Seco is quite a rare style. This is because most producers making dry wine in the area utilize Sierras de Málaga DO which was created in 2001 to focus on dry wines. The idea here is to keep each DO associated with a style, though Málaga DO allows for dry wine, it is much more well known for sweet wines.
This guide states "Málaga DO is designated for sweet wines, while Sierras de Málaga DO refers to dry table white, rosado, and red wines made in the same area". However, sobremaduradas is listed as a permitted style under the Sierras de Malaga compendium entry, and the guide later states "Dry white wines can also be produced under the Málaga DO, so long as they are comprised of 70% Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría, or Moscatel de Grano Menudo". Are these just rarely encountered exceptions? Thank you!
Granada also added a few extra sub. thank you, Jonathan!