The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has published in the Official State Gazette today the recognition of 14 new unique vineyards in the Qualified Designation of Origin Rioja (DOCa Rioja), of which eight are located in the Autonomous Community of La Rioja and six in the province of Álava.
The unique vineyard consists of a place or rural site with its own agrogeological and climatological characteristics that distinguish it from its surroundings, and from which wines with unique qualities are obtained. This term highlights not only the exceptional quality of wines, but also the commitment of companies to sustainability, innovation and the development of the rural environment.
These vineyards, which must have a delimited extension lower than that of the municipal term and be identified with a name, are also required a minimum age of 35 years and a yield per hectare of 5,000 kilograms of red grapes and 6,922 kilograms of white grapes, lower than those established for the entire DOCa.
In addition, all the grapes must come exclusively from this vineyard and the harvest will have to be manual. The wine obtained must achieve an excellent assessment in the organoleptic analysis of the Regulatory Council before coming onto the market, and must have specific labelling and reinforced control.
With these new recognitions, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has approved since 2019 a total of 162 unique vineyards. Of these, 89 are located in La Rioja, 70 in Álava and 3 in Navarra. This recognition represents a significant advance in the valorisation of the vineyards of the DOCa Rioja, which now cover a total of 265 hectares and 97 wineries promoting it.
Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs), Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs), Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSGs) and Optional Quality Terms are key to promoting the image of Spain and constitute one of the fundamental pillars of Spain’s Food strategy.