Vinos de Pago, often abbreviated to VP, is a relatively New category of wine classification in Spain. It was introduced in 2003, to cover individual wineries whose wines fell outside the existing DO system (geographically or stylistically) but were nevertheless of consistently high quality. As of 2017, there were more than a dozen VPs, all of which are notable exceptions in regions not generally associated with high quality wines. More than half are in Castilla-La Mancha, and the rest in Navarra and Utiel-Requena.
There is also a confusing association of promotional wineries, Grandes Pagos de Espana. The list of members is not identical, although wineries such as Dominio de Valdepusa of Marqués de Griñon in Toledo and Señorio de Arinzano in Navarre are included in both. The GPE also includes, for example, members such as Martinez Bujanda's Finca Valdpiedra in Rioja, a region that did not participate in the Vinos de Pagos program (Rioja's stance on single-owner appellations along the lines of Grand Cru led to the large producer Artadi's withdrawal from the designation). Vino de Pago estates must be small; the law governing the category states that the area covered by a VP title must not be "equal to or greater than any parish in its region.
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Stephen Burton, 57, and Andrew Fuller, 55, face up to 20 years behind bars if they are convicted of duping the collectors. They set up a company called Bordeaux Cellars to conduct the alleged scam. It offered investors the chance to earn high returns by making collateralised loans secured against rare bottles of the world’s finest wines, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Screaming Eagle. However, the returns were ‘too good to be true’, according to court papers filed in New York by US di ...
Seillan takes on his new role in addition to his current position as senior vice president of finance, Château Lassègue and Tenuta di Arceno. Château Lassègue said Seillan will continue to work alongside his father, renowned vigneron Pierre Seillan, who said: ‘I am proud that my son Nicolas will continue in the tradition of our family lineage as a seventh-generation vigneron, and bring his passion and respect for the great terroirs and wines of France.’ Born into a family of French vignerons, Ni ...
Jars recovered from the seabed and dating back to the Roman period have offered more clues about winemaking and storage in this era, according to a study that used a mixture of analysis techniques. A combination of chemical markers, plant tissue residue and pollen analysis helped researchers to build a picture about the possible contents of three amphorae ‘wine jars’ discovered near the coastal town of San Felice Circeo, around 90km south-east of Rome. ‘The evidence suggests the amphorae were us ...