With this new labeling design, still pending approval by the Community of Madrid, zoning categories are created that refer to the origin of the grapes. In this way, in addition to the traditional aging categories —Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva—, the wines will be able to detail on their labels in which region or in which town the grape grows, from which place the vineyards are or from which vineyard in particular. the fruits come. And if the vineyard is above 800 meters of altitude, it can be identified with the mention of Wine of Altitude or Height.
The new regulations are compatible with those currently in force, and the wineries themselves will be able to choose whether to include it, as long as they can demonstrate the origin according to the traceability of the product, and it will be the Regulated Council who certifies the origin of the grape to those who want to benefit from the new designation system.
Zoning on labeling
«It is a measure that values the vineyard, will help the growth of the sector and a very important step for the consolidation of Madrid wines as a high quality product since it allows a more precise origin to be identified. In any case, the objective will never be to compare the product of Madrid but to differentiate it according to its particular characteristics, a Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos is not the same as one from Navalcarnero, for example ”, explains the President of the Regulatory Council, Antonio Reguilón, adding that “zoning means going back to the origins on the one hand, and equates us with the great wine regions of the world on the other”.
In this sense, France is the country that inspired this new form of categorization, where the great wines of regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Alsace are linked to specific vineyards. But there are great wines of very specific origin in all parts of the world, such as Italy or Portugal – which has the oldest zoning in the world in the Douro – and there are unique vineyards to make a single wine in Germany, Austria, California, South Africa, New Zealand, or Australia.
Qualification
Madrid wines also adopt zoning in their labeling
Description
The Regulatory Council of the DO Vinos de Madrid has approved a new labeling, in the same line of Denominations as Bierzo or Cava, which will be able to detail in which region or in which town the grape grows, from which place the vineyards are or from which particular vineyard the grapes come from.
Author
Gastronomy Journal