Spain is upping its single-vineyard credentials under the Vinos de Pago DOP and Grandes Pagos bodies, reports Roger Morris. AT FIRST glance, these six wineries have little in common, other than being Spanish. Bodegas Fillaboa makes white wines along the Miño River in rainy Rías Baixas. Mas Doix cultivates mainly old vines in Priorat, while Cortijo Los Aguilares is still trying to discover which grapes grow best along the Mediterranean coast near Málaga. The Alonso del Yerro and Abadía Retuerta wineries are not that far apart in terms of kilometres, but the former sits within Ribera del Duero, while the latter falls just outside that appellation – but recently received its own DOP. Vallegarcía is tucked away in the Montes de Toledo. However, one thing they all have in common is Spain’s new-found love of vineyard-specific wines, as the country has begun to viticulturally diversify away from blending wines from multiple locations. The driving instrument behind this movement is represented by a single, short word – “pago” – but the process has not been without confusion, complications and indeed limitations. For those wine lovers who consider the concept of terroir almost like a religion, nothing is more sacred than a single, discernible plot of ground planted to vines. Whether we call it a “cru”, a “clos”, an “estate” or something else, it refers to a solo plot of land where grapes are grown. Spain in recent years has taken this single-vineyard concept to a new level by
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
