The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León will modify the wine terms of the regional level appellation of Castilla y León (VT Castilla y Len) to accommodate niche indigenous grape varieties, thus offering more possibilities for special wines and wines with regional uniqueness.
Image courtesy of: Penin Guide Spain
According to the source, the following indigenous grapes are included in the latest list of authorizations: Rabigato, Puesta en Cruz, Rufete Serrano Blanco, Estaladina, Gajo Arroba There are also wines from La Rioja, Mandón, Garro, and Tinto Jeromo. There are also white Manturana (Manturana Blanca) and red Manturana (Manturana Tinta), which originated in La Rioja, as well as the Portuguese variety Touriga Nacional, which will be included in the new protection agreement. The Ministry of Agriculture said that all of these grape varieties have very good quality, in addition to the fact that most of them ripen late and are extremely adaptable to their origin.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Castilla León also explained that the inclusion of these varieties symbolizes the results of the work to recover niche grape varieties. This work was carried out by researchers from the Italian Technical Commission (Itacyl), who have been exploring all the wine regions of Castilla León for more than 20 years, and this work continues to this day.
The regional appellation of Castilla y León has been very positive, and in 2019 its wine sales exceeded 16.8 million liters, with a total wine value of more than 50 million euros. About one third of the wine is exported and the remaining two thirds are sold in the Spanish market.
