Photo of the city walls of Urueña by Nicolás Pérez
On November 4, 2021—after a long and winding road through the regulatory channels (the proposal was first drawn up in 2015)—the EU has registered Vino de Pago Urueña as a new protected designation of origin (PDO) for Spanish wine.
The new appellation, along with its single producer—Bodega Heredad de Urueña—is located in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León in northwest Spain. The area—within the province of Valladolid—is famous for its medieval stone walls, restored city gates, and concentration of antiquarian bookstores (it has even been designated as a villa del libro (“city of books”).
Photo of the town of Urueña by Nicolás Pérez
The equally famous vineyards of Bodges Heredad de Urueña are located just to the north of the walled city. While the estate will continue to produce a range of grape varieties and styles of wine under the Vino de la Tierra Castilla y León designation, the wines produced under the PDO/Vino de Pago Urueña must be produced under the following guidelines:
- Vino tinto/red wine:
- Allowed grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo
- Minimum alcohol: 13% abv
- Description, per the pliego: The red wines are very intense in color. They are cherry or garnet red, with purple tones appearing at the rim. They have a great amount of aromatic complexity due to the combination of grape varieties used and are particularly characterized by their roundness and an absence of sharp edges.
- Vino rosado/rosé:
- Allowed grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo
- Minimum alcohol: 12.5% abv
- Description, per the pliego: Urueña rosés have raspberry-pink tones and the bluish notes of the Syrah variety, which occupies the largest proportion of the area under vines. Fresh fruit aromas predominate on the nose, together with some floral and caramel notes. The presence of red fruits is more characteristic of the Tempranillo rosés.
References/for more information:
- Extract from the Government of Spain/Ministry of Agriculture Website
- Extract from the EU Register – Uruena
- Commission Implementing Decision-Vino de Pago Uruena
- Pliego de Condiciones – PAGO URUEÑA
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/uruena
- Nuestras Bodegas – Heredad de Urueña (heredaduruena.com)
- Photos Nicolás Pérez via Wikimedia Commons
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org