Prado Irache, the estate wine of Bodegas Irache in Navarra, has gained DO Pago status.
This is the second wine of the region to achieve the classification, the highest rank in Spanish wine and the equivalent of the French grand cru.
Bodegas Chivite's DO Pago Arínzano gained its spurs in 2007.
DO Pago Irache, priced at around €100, debuts with the 2006 vintage. The wine is sourced from 30ha of vineyard in the northern Tierra Estella sub-region - the same location as the Arínzano vineyard.
Pago Irache is a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet and Merlot which is matured in French oak.
There are now six DO Pago wines in total. Castilla-La Mancha was the first region to create legislation for the superior category.
It is home to the DO Pago wines Dominio de Valdepusa (2003), Finca Élez (2003), El Guijoso (2005) and Dehesa del Carrizal (2006).
Navarra became the second region to enact Pago legislation last year.
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I strongly disagree with this. DO Vino de Pago does not represent the best wines of Spain. By it's name and background, it is a DO category for individual estates, a DO for single vineyard wines. If there is a category for Spain's best wines, it would be the D.O.Ca. category, the Denominacion de Origen Calificada (or DOQ in Catalunya). Indeed, two of Spain's best winegrowing areas, Rioja and Priorat, are at the moment the sole representatives of it.
As a matter of fact, though some DO Vino de Pago wines are quite good, some of them are actually not good at all. Having tasted the Arinzano wines recently, I was quite disappointed by them, as they were rather green and harsh, unbalanced. Which is no wonder, as the vineyard is located in a part of Navarra which is quite unsuitable (cold and wet) for producing high class red wines. Since the new DO Vino de Pago wine from Irache is in the same area, I am inclined to fear the worst.
In any case, none of the Vino de Pago wines, whether from Castilia or Navarra, are amongst Spain's very best.
Frank Smulders MW, Netherlands
Well.. what else to say? Thank you Mr Smulders, very interesting.
Raymond Chalifoux
The Pago system with some exceptions tends to be a bit of an ego stroking idea. Those that cannot get the credit they "claim" to deserve opt to try to put themselves further outside the mainstream by labeling themselves Pagos. Silly marketing really, when if you take and spend more effort making your wines better and more interesting you'll naturally stand out of the crowd. I for one do not place any more value on "pago" wines then any other wines in Spain. Nor should anyone else.
Ryan Opaz, Barcelona, Spain
I find it somewhat disappointing that the Pago designation - what could be an opportunity to showcase what is really extraordinary about Spanish wine - has so far been awarded to only non-traditional wine producers using international grapes in what have traditionally been for the most part “marginal” areas for quality wine. While it may be true that these six estates are making spectacular wine (and that is a matter for some discussion) what about top Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Rioja, etc. properties using Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cariena, Mazuelo, etc? Doesn't' the world have enough Cabernet-Merlot-Syrah producers? Spanish wine has become very fashionable in my country (USA) because the Spanish traditional varietals have come of age in the last couple decades and the new wave of winemakers are making spectacular, delicious terroir-driven (and some squeaky clean new age) value wines, which is both exciting and laudable. Awarding a Pago DO somehow suggests that the top tier of Spain is not based on the true top Spanish regions. This is a disservice to the denomination system and to the producers who have worked to improve their wines within that system.
Jerome D Smith
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