Spain

La Mancha

 

La Mancha, home of Don Quijote, is the largest wine-growing region with designation of origin in Spain, enclosing another designation of origin: Valdepeñas. Originally built for the regional market (as far as Madrid) as simple country wines, in the last twenty years enormous investments have taken place, which have turned these Sleeping Beauty wines into high-quality, internationally sought-after wines (about 70% are now exported). The subsoil of clay, sometimes limestone, with sandy soils and a dry, clean air in a pronounced continental climate can flourish as white wine vines Airén, Pardilla and Verdoncho, as red wine vines Cencibel, Moravia, Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon. Especially the Gran Reserva, which matures for at least 2 years in barriques and 2 years in the bottle, is highly praised by wine connoisseurs from all over the world.
Castilla-La Mancha (Spanish Castilla-La Mancha, officially Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha) is a Spanish Autonomous Community. Castile-La Mancha includes the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo. Capital is Toledo.

Castilla-La Mancha is part of Castilla's historic Central Spanish landscape and is also known as the New Castile. Traditionally, the province of Madrid belonged to New Castile, but this forms since 1983, the Autonomous Community of Madrid.