Grandes Pagos de Espana – Spanish Wines from Single Vineyards

When spanish wine making transformed from small wine production to industrial production, product quality was reduced. For some wine makers, this lower level of quality of wine does not represent wine from Spain.

In 2000 a consortium of wine estates that believed in making wine from single vineyards formed the Grandes Pagos de Castilla. Later in 2003 the consortium expanded and changed their name to Grandes Pagos de Espana. There objective is to promote single vineyard estates and therefore promoting higher quality spanish wines.

Wines from single vineyards (Pagos) give the wine a sense of place. The soil, climate and geographical location give the wine its own distinctiveness.

Spanish wines are delicious wines. Taste the difference of the Pago ( Single Vineyard ).

Taste the added complexity for not much more cost per bottle.

See the Wines of Spain tab for wine reviews of  Wine Reviews of Grandes Pagos de Espana selected member wines. In the background information, you it will be noted if the wine is a member.

Under Spains Vineyard and Wine Act of 2003, the single vineyard estates were included in the definition of D.O. (designation of origin).

For your reference, the following is an excerpt of

The Vineyard and Wine Act of 2003.

1.For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions

shall apply:

(a) ‘designation of origin’ means the name of a region, a

specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country used to

describe a product referred to in Article 33(1) that complies

with the following requirements:

(i) its quality and characteristics are essentially or

exclusively due to a particular geographical environment

with its inherent natural and human factors;

(ii) the grapes from which it is produced come exclusively

from this geographical area;

(iii) its production takes place in this geographical area;

(iv) it is obtained from vine varieties belonging to Vitis

vinifera;

(b) ‘geographical indication’ means an indication referring to a

region, a specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country,

used to describe a product referred to in Article 33(1)

which complies with the following requirements:

(i) it possesses a specific quality, reputation or other

characteristics attributable to that geographical origin;

(ii) at least 85 % of the grapes used for its production

come exclusively from this geographical area;

(iii) its production takes place in this geographical area;

(iv) it is obtained from vine varieties belonging to Vitis

vinifera or a cross between the Vitis vinifera species and

other species of the genus Vitis.