Uncorking the Truth about Spanish Wines

While the demand for wine has shown a general decline over the last few years throughout Europe, particularly in table wines, Spanish wines with Denominación de Origen (Designation of Origin) are showing steady growth, both in domestic and foriegn markets. To see why this has occured, we need to understand exactly what D.O. means with respect to wine.

What does it mean that a wine has Designation of Origin?

Only 25& of Spanish wines have been granted this prestigious label. What does it mean that a wine has Denominación de Origen?

Denominación de Origen is an indicator of the geographical region, production processes, quality, and personality of each wine variety. The official definition includes two basic components:
1) The quality, personality, and uniqueness of products derived from their geographical origen, which implies both certain conditions of soil and climate and certain growing and manufacturing practices.
2) The recognition and assignation of value of these differentiating qualities by consumers.

The other basic component not included in the above definition, but equally important to the evolution of a Designation of Origin´s position in the wine market, is the collective willingness of producers and sellers of a given region to offer consumers a quality product with a unique personality, while voluntarily subjecting themselves to restrictions and regulations of their practices.
Why is the Denominación de Origen label so important?

Don´t be fooled. It is a misconception that the use of a particular grape variety implies quality. The truth is that quality depends not only on the grape varieties used, but also on the soil and climatic conditions where they are grown. The grape varieties that have achieved international recognition have done so thanks to the conditions and the traditional practices in the area where they reached their fame, circumstances which may not be found in all of the areas where they are grown.

That is why Denominación de Origen is so important when determining a wine´s quality and authenticity. Its regulations don´t merely guarantee that a wine has been produced using a partcular grape variety, they look into all of the geographical factors which influence the final product.

D.O. is the oldest and most valued indicator of quality, the first thing to look for when in search of excellent Spanish wine.