The Meseta

We can find almost more than half of all Spain’s vineyards on these arid plains. Until just a decade or two ago, it was an internationally accepted dictum that this area was not producing the expected level of quality, but this ended up being incorrect: many of Spain’s top Vinos de Pago (such as Dominio de Valdepusa, Finca Elez, Dehesa de Carrizal and Pago Guijoso) are found in this area. The northern portion of the Meseta pitches its dry plateau to the edges of the Sistemas Central and Ibérico; the vineyards might be hot and dry, but they often lie at high altitudes, as a result, night time temperatures can be quite cool. The region of Castilla–La Mancha is the Midi of Spain, and as with France’s Midi, a focus upon varietals is fueling a revolutionary turnabout where these wines are poised to becoming some of the most recognized Spanish wines internationally. But the revolution is still in its infancy. For the moment, Airén remains the most widely planted grape (70% of the vineyards). DO La Mancha lies within this huge region, and nearly half of the vineyards of the DO aren’t allowed to use the DO on their label. This is likely a bit confusing to some, but it is quite straightforward in that: being from an area does not guarantee a producer its DO status.