Denominación de Origen
Located in the south of Castile-La Mancha, the Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas production area is home to the Jabalón River running from east to west across the area and to 22,000 hectares of vines, some of which are hundreds of years old, tended to by over 2,500 expert growers.
Although the Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas was officially established in 1932 under the Wine Statute, winemaking in the region dates back to the 5th century BC, according to scientific studies at the Iberian site of Cerro de la Cabezas, located in what is today the production area.
In 1968, the first regulation of the Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas was established, which remained in place until 2009 when it became an Inter-Professional Association, creating a framework of collaboration between growers and bodegas (wineries) to promote the unique quality of our grape cultivation and winemaking and bottling processes.
Despite being known as «Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas», the production area is actually spread over ten municipalities:
Valdepeñas, Alcubillas, Moral de Calatrava, San Carlos del Valle, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Torrenueva, part of Torre de Juan Abad, Granátula de Calatrava, Alhambra and Montiel.
These areas have many tales to tell that are intrinsically linked, just like their wines, to the history of Spain through the events that occurred in these areas and the historical figures who were born here, including:
Don Álvaro de Bazán, first Marquis of Santa Cruz; Francisco de Quevedo or the regicide of Peter I by his half-brother Henry II of Castile.
The Valdepeñas wines are completely unique, shaped by the characteristics of a region unlike any other across the continent, with robust vines giving very selective yields and a climate of extreme temperatures with over 2,500 hours of sunlight a year.
This unique environment, combined with the region’s age-old winemaking tradition (in many cases, passed down through local families from one generation to the next), has given rise to well-matured vines that produce wines of a deep, rich colour, optimal structure and powerful bouquet.
From its barrel fermented Grandes Reservas, Reservas and Crianzas, to its fresh and aromatic young wines, D.O. Valdepeñas wines are exported to over 100 countries and never fail to exceed the expectations of those seeking the very best vintages and the perfect pairing for all types of food.