Spain’s comunidad autónoma of Castilla-La Mancha has announced yet another new Denominación de Origen Protegida (PDO) for wine: the Vino de Pago Rosalejo! As of March 15, (2024) the EU has announced its approval of the new appellation, which follows rather quickly on the heels of the announcement of another new appellation for Castilla-La Mancha—the Campo de Calatrava DO—approved just over a month ago.
The Vino de Pago Rosalejo is approved for red wines only. According to the Pliego de Condiciones, the wines are intended to be deeply hued with a ruby-red color, intense aromas of fruit, spice, and oak-derived toast, excellent structure, and balanced acidity.
- The standards regarding the wines of the Vino de Pago Rosalejo include the following:
- Produced using Syrah, Garnacha Tinta, and Tempranillo
- Minimum 12% alcohol by volume (abv)
- Minimum 6 months aging in oak barrels, followed by a minimum of one month aging in the bottle
- Maximum yield of 68 liters of wine per 100 kg of grapes
- Alcoholic fermentation must take place at a controlled temperature
- The finished wine must demonstrate a color intensity of at least 8 A.U.
The Rosalejo PDO—located within the provinces of Ciudad Real and Toledo—is situated in the rolling hills of the Sierra de Sevilleja Mountains (part of the Montes de Toledo). The area rests atop well-drained, sandy soils derived from quartzite and granite. High levels of iron in the soil give the topsoil a distinctive orange-red hue. The minimum elevation of the vineyards is 650 meters/2,130 feet above sea level. There are currently 1,339 hectares/3,309 acres of qualified vineyards planted in the designation region.
The new appellation and its accompanying legislation will enter into force 20 days following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union—this should be on or about April 12, 2024. We will post a map as soon as the newly crafted appellation creates one.
Welcome to the world, Vino de Pago Rosalejo!
References/for more information:
- Notice from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture
- EU Council Implementing Decision-Rosalejo PDO-March 2024
- Proposal Rosalejo-English
- Pliego de Condiciones Vino de Pago Rosalejo
- https://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-ue-registra-nueva-dop-vino-pago-rosalejo-ubicada-anchuras-sevilleja-jara-20240325121401.html
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org
This is not a PAGO but a DO.
The specification of Rosalejo states that: The application for the ‘Rosalejo’ PDO is being made by a sole applicant as the conditions for the derogation established in Article 95 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 are met. The person in question is the only producer in the demarcated geographical area. There is only one wine-grower (who is also the winemaker) within the demarcated area described in section 4. There are no other growers or winemakers so there is no possibility of any other participants joining the project for the time being. In future, however, other producers may use the registered name if they set up in the demarcated geographical area, provided they meet the conditions set out in the product specification.
It is indeed a PDO, but it is not a DO. Please look at the Pliego/section 8: “Reglamento único para las OCM, es Vino de Pago, tal mención tradicional podrá sustituir en el etiquetado de los vinos a la expresión Denominación de Origen Protegida.”
Vinos de Pago, DOs, and DOCas are all classified as PDO.
If you feel strongly that Rosalejo is NOT a Vino de Pago, you might want to let Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture know: https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/prensa/ultimas-noticias/la-uni%C3%B3n-europea-registra-la-nueva-denominaci%C3%B3n-de-origen-protegida-de-vino-de-pago-rosalejo/tcm:30-678247
Thank you for clarifying this point. If the Spanish authorities says it is a Pago then they should know better than anybody else. This is the first time I have seen that a Pago could be shared among several estates. I could not find in section 8 of the document you mentioned any references to the regulation about about Pago. Point 8 of the document you refer to read : to Member States should be given the flexibility to specify certain definitions and conditions in their CAP Strategic Plans. In order to ensure a common level playing field, a certain framework has, however, to be set at Union level constituting the necessary common elements to be included in those definitions and conditions (‘framework definitions’).
My understanding of a Pago that it is a single estate domain. So I am intrigued that it could be shared with other domain, though it is very unlikely.
The EU do not care too much, as you quite rightly point out, they are all DOP. It seems a rather intriguing comments to flnd that I could be shared in an EU official document.
Agreed, these things are complicated at best, so whenever possible I yield to the regulatory body. The document I refer to (Pliego de Condiciones-Vino de Pago Rosalejo) is posted at the bottom of our article. It does not define a pago but rather clarifies the name of the Rosalejo appellation to include the traditional term “Vino de Pago” which may be used in lieu of the “PDO” initialism.