Photo via: www.fincarionegro.com
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, MAPA) has announced the approval of a new Denominación de Origen Protegida (PDO) for wine: the Vino de Pago Río Negro! As of March 20 (2025) the EU has also announced its approval of the new appellation. At last count, this makes for a new total of 27 vinos de pago for Spain.
The new appellation is located across the municipalities of Cogolludo, San Andrés, and Membrillera within the autonomous community (comunidad autónoma) of Castilla–La Mancha.
The area is defined by the steeply rising Rio Negro Plateau, with vineyards planted at 940 meters/3,085 feet to 1,000 meters/3,280 feet above sea level. The area enjoys a warm continental climate (with some Mediterranean influences), soils rich in clay, and a good diurnal temperature fluctuation. The areas surrounding the vines are composed of woodlands and scrublands which help to moderate the temperature and lend biodiversity to the region.
Photo via: www.fincarionegro.com
The Vino de Pago Río Negro is approved for the production of dry red wines (produced using a short list of allowed grapes) and dry white (100% Gewürztraminer) wines. All wines bearing the Vino de Pago Río Negro designation must be aged before being released to the market. The allowed list of grape varieties—along with other defined characteristics of the wine—is very specific, as discussed below:
- White wine (Blanco/Gewürztraminer):
- Authorized grape variety: Gewürztraminer
- Minimum alcohol by volume (abv) in the finished wine: 12%
- Grapes must be de-stemmed
- At least 50% of the grapes must undergo a period of pre-fermentation skin contact. They are then pressed and clarified by cold settling, and subsequent vinification takes place at very low temperatures, around 15 C (60F).
- Ageing requirements: must be aged on the lees (in stainless steel or oak) for a minimum of 3 months; this must be followed by at least 1 month in the bottle and at least a further 1 month in the bottle
- Red wine (Tinto):
- Authorized grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo, and/or Tinto Fragoso
- Red wines may be monovarietal or blends (multivarietal)
- Minimum alcohol by volume (abv) in the finished wine: 13%
- All grapes (whether de-stemmed or whole cluster) must undergo a pre-fermentation cold maceration (cold soak) for a period of between 3 and 21 days
- Ageing requirements: minimum ageing of 11 months, of which at least 5 months must be in oak vessels (casks or barrels of varying sizes) followed by bottle ageing for at least a further 6 months
Photo via: www.fincarionegro.com
Bodegas Finca Río Negro—founded in 1988—is the sole producer of these wines. Their website has a wealth of information concerning the wines and the region.
Welcome to the world, Vino de Pago Río Negro!
References/for more information:
- Rio Negro PDO
- Pliego des Condiciones Vino de Pago Rio Negro (in Spanish)
- The website of Bodegas Finca Río Negro
- EU Council Implementing Decision Vino de Pago Rio Negro
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org
Thank you for the update! A quick grammar note on the word monovarietal. The word is unnecessarily redundant, since the word “varietal”, as in “varietal wine”, already means a wine made from a single grape variety. So, monovarietal would mean, a single-single-grape wine. In this case, it could read, red wines may be varietals or blends. Alternatively, the words “single-variety” or “mono-variety” could be used, if it is assumed the reader may not know the meaning of the word varietal. Unfortunately, the misuse of the word varietal as a substitute for “grape variety” has led to many other misuses of the word.
Hi Kent! Thanks for the note! The term “monovarietal” is taken directly from the Pliego de Condiciones, which lists different regulations for “monovarietal” vs “multivarietal” wines. The terms are used correctly (as adjectives) to refer to the wines and not the grapes. Nevertheless, we’re going to let the governing body have the last word in the terminology that they use to define their wines.