European PDOs under

Consejo Regulador D.O. La Mancha

PDO

Denomination of Origin La Mancha is the sole PDO under Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen La Mancha.

There are different back labels depending on the types and characteristics of each wine in the Denomination of Origin, which allows consumers to identify the type of wine that they like:

  • Joven (Young)
  • Tradicional (Traditional)
  • Envejecido en barrica (Aged in Oak Barrel)
  • Crianza
  • Reserva
  • Gran Reserva
  • Espumoso (Sparkling wine)
  • Método Tradicional (Traditional Method)

The Terroir

One of the typical characteristics of La Mancha, which promotes the quality of its vines, is the makeup of its soils. The great plain of La Mancha contains abundant sedimentary limestone, with a thickness and compaction of the grains that are mainly of the sandy and clay types. These features on their own already make La Mancha ideal land for growing large vines.

The rainfall is very low (normally between 300-350mm) and the variations in temperature are very large – both diurnally (the difference between day and night) and annually (with summers that can reach above 40°C and winters where it’s not rare to plummet below -10°C).

This dry, continental climate, with over 3,000 hours of sunlight per year, considerably reduces the risk of disease in the vines, and helps the grapes ripen properly.

Consejo Regulador Denominación de Origen La Mancha

The first official recognition of La Mancha as a Denomination of Origin appeared in the Wine Statute of 1932, although the Regulatory Board in its current form was created in 1973, and three years later it published its first list of Regulations and Specifications.

The main tasks carried out by the Regulatory Board are:

  • To monitor and check that the rules given in the Specifications are complied with
  • The national and international promotion of wines with La Mancha Denomination of Origin