The Winery Casa del Águila of Vinos de Pago

Discovering the wine region of Vinos de Pago

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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