VINO-ASIA

What is "Denominacion de Origin" A geographical area needs to qualify for the privilege of being granted a Denominacion de Origin, or D.O. as it is simply called.  It is not something that is easy to acquire and serves really as a guarantee to consumers that the wine has complied with a variety of production standards. To be considered, the region must establish that it has a distinctive micro climate, grape variety or production method, and then the boundaries need to be defined. It must then define the types of wine for which it is applying D.O. status for. This will include the variety of grape authorised, the percentages of each variety allowed in the case of blends (this prevents producers introducing high yield, but usually inferior varieties), and the types of wines which will be allowed, be it red or white still or sparkling. Finally and probably most importantly, the area applying for D.O. status must be able to prove that the wine produced by the local wineries have achieved and maintained, over a period of several years, a consistent level of quality. The Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones (INDO) is the regulatory body which defines, oversees and ensures that the quality standards are maintained by the wine producers in both new and existing D.O.s. The small label on the back of each bottle with Denominacion de Origin and serial number, which is distinctive to the vineyard where it was bottled, is your guarantee that the wine inside has met all the applicable requirements, minimum aging times and quality standards of that D.O. All of that said, non-D.O. wines from Spain don't mean inferior quality. There is a new breed of wine maker who deliberately do not apply for D.O. status, and who are producing some of Spain's finest wines from grapes grown on non-D.O. land. Producing non-D.O. wines allows the wine maker to experiment with different blends and production methods, bringing a modern twist to traditional wines.