What is a “pago”?
A vineyard or group of vineyards located in a specific place, with defined characteristics and its own name.
And what is a Vino de Pago?
It is one that guarantees it has been made with grapes from that specific and delimited geographical area, with specific climatic and soil composition characteristics of that land. A Vino de Pago is, ultimately, one produced with grapes from the place itself under conditions that are distinct from those of nearby areas.
We are talking about a concept created in the year 2000 by a group of producers from the two Castillas to differentiate their wines from those of industrial wineries which, by virtue of their large production volumes, used grapes from various origins. The terroir —the land— is the key here. Its character. Its personality. Its excellence. That is what makes Vinos de Pago something unique.
There are about thirty wineries in Spain —representing less than 1% of the total vineyard cultivation area of our country— that make up the Association of Grandes Pagos de España (GPE). Their wines, of high quality and made from more than 40 grape varieties —both red and white— are backed by high ratings in national and international wine guides, and are required to have been on the market for a minimum of five years. In terms of production, they generate more than four million bottles per year, which significantly supply both the domestic market and exports.
The list of certified wineries includes: Aalto, Abadía Retuerta, Alonso del Yerro, Alvear, Astobiza, Belondrade, Calzadilla, Can Ràfols dels Caus, Cérvoles Celler S.L., Cortijo Los Aguilares, Dehesa del Carrizal, Bodegas Enrique Mendoza, Fillaboa, Finca Moncloa, Finca Sandoval, Finca Valpiedra, Fuentes del Silencio, Bodegas Gramona, Manuel Manzaneque, Marqués de Griñón Family Estates, Mas Doix, Bodegas Mauro, San Román Bodegas y Viñedos, Mustiguillo, Secastilla, Pago de Vallegarcía, J. Chivite Family Estates, Numanthia, Palacio Quemado, Propiedad de Arínzano, Sei Solo, and Valdespino.
The wineries are located across ten autonomous communities: Galicia, Castilla y León, Navarra, La Rioja, Aragón, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, and Andalusia.
The high quality level of Vinos de Pago corresponds with the conditions their producers must meet. The most immediate ones have to do with the origin of the grape and the wine itself. As stated in Article 24 of Law 24/2003 on the Vine and Wine (published in “BOE” No. 165, on July 11, 2003)…
Vinos de Pago shall be produced and bottled by natural or legal persons who, by themselves or through their partners, own the vineyards located in the pago […] All grapes intended for Vino de Pago must come from vineyards located in the defined pago, and the wine must be produced, stored and, where applicable, aged separately from other wines. […] In the production of Vinos de Pago, a comprehensive quality system shall be implemented, to be applied from grape production to the marketing of the wines.
In addition to these requirements, each winery must undergo a prior inspection by the technical audit committee, and their wines must pass a vertical tasting by the board members of the Association.
Although Vinos de Pago occupy the highest position in the Spanish wine quality pyramid, it must be noted that, exceptionally, there are wines that carry the commercial name “Pago” without meeting these requirements. This has an explanation: their names were registered before the aforementioned law. Apart from those exceptions, there are no other Vinos de Pago than the official ones — such is their excellence.
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CL-619 Road, km 64, Gumiel de Mercado (Burgos), Spain
CL-619 Road, km 64, Gumiel de Mercado (Burgos), Spain
