Manchuela broadens wine styles and relaxes bottling rules
Spain’s Manchuela DO has approved changes to its production rules that expand the range of wines permitted under the appellation and remove the requirement for wines to be bottled within the production area. The revisions also introduce a new authorised grape variety as the denomination continues to modernise its regulations.
Manchuela DO has approved a series of amendments to its appellation rules, allowing producers to make new categories of aged white and rosé wines, authorising an additional indigenous grape variety and removing the requirement for wines to be bottled within the denomination.
The changes, published by the European Union as a “standard modification”, do not alter the geographical area, product category or link between the wines and their place of origin. Instead, they update several aspects of the denomination’s specification to give producers greater flexibility.
Aged whites and rosés recognised
The most significant change is the introduction of aged and matured white and rosé wines as recognised styles within the DO.
Previously, the specification covered only the existing categories of still wines. Producers will now be able to market barrel-aged or otherwise matured white and rosé wines under the Manchuela appellation, provided they meet the revised production, analytical and quality requirements.
The amendments also add Albillo Dorado to the list of authorised grape varieties, expanding the options available to growers seeking to diversify vineyard plantings.
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Bottling restriction removed
Another notable revision is the removal of the obligation to bottle wines within the appellation’s production area.
According to the European Commission, the change is intended to provide producers with greater commercial flexibility without affecting the integrity or traceability of the protected designation of origin.
A separate administrative amendment also removes the requirement for wineries to be registered with the appellation’s interprofessional organisation, simplifying the wording of the production specification without altering how the denomination operates.
Building on a growing reputation
Located between the Júcar and Cabriel river valleys in eastern Castilla-La Mancha, Manchuela has spent much of the past two decades establishing itself as a quality-focused alternative to the region’s historic bulk wine reputation. The denomination is particularly associated with old-vine Bobal, although producers also work with a broad range of indigenous and international varieties.
As previously reported by the drinks business, Manchuela was identified by Spanish wine experts as one of the country’s most overlooked wine regions. Speaking during Taste Spain earlier this year, María Naranjo, director of food and drink at Spanish trade organisation ICEX, described the denomination as “a very special region, that produces very different wines, offering something different to the world”, pointing to its high-altitude vineyards and distinctive Bobal-based wines.
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