Denomination of Origin Utiel-Requena - Making Wine For Over 2,500 Years

Situated in the Valencia province's interior, the Denomination of Origin (D.O.) is a large area almost exclusively used to cultivate grape vines. The D.O.'s name comes from the two main towns, but it contains a total of nine municipalities - Caudete de las Fuentes, Camporrobles, Fuenterrobles, Requena, Siete Aguas, Sinarcas, Utiel, Venta del Moro and Villargordo del Cabriel. Some seven thousand families and more than one hundred wineries live from viticulture in the D.O. Utiel-Requena, and the culture of wine is the heart and soul of the region.
Utiel-Requena is the only region in which wine has been continuously produced for more than 2,500 years. Various important archaeological finds such as grape seeds, stone structures to produce wine - presses such as Las Pilillas in Requena - and tableware relics corroborate that the cultivation of the vine and the consumption of wine go back to the Iberian era in the seventh century B.C..The Iberians settled in Los Villares, known as Kelin in Caudete de las Fuentes and in the "El Molón" mountain in Camporrobles, as well as other villages. Since that time, the history of this region has many documented references on the vine and wine demonstrating the importance the drink of the gods has had over the centuries.

The Heart of the Vineyards of the Comunitat Valenciana: Land and Climate

Utiel-Requena enjoys a homogeneous geographical identity and climatic traits. Its is formed by an almost circular plain about 45 kilometres in diameter, consisting of more that 1,800 square kilometres, with an average elevation of 700 metres above sea level.
The climate of the D.O. has continental characteristics with temperatures favourable to the cultivation of vineyards. The winters are cold and long, night frost sometimes occurs in the spring, and summer and autumn are usually short.
There are more that 40,000 registered hectares of vineyards with eighty percent being of the Bobal variety, a grape almost exclusively grown in the D.O. Utiel-Requena whose value has been increasingly recognised.

Grapes and Wines, with D.O. Utiel-Requena

Utiel-Requena is a region of mainly red wines and roses made from red grape varieties. Over the last several years, cava production has taken on a more important role, causing an increase in plantations of white grape varieties. The protected grapes are:

• Reds: Bobal, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Pinot Noir.
• Whites: Macabeo, Tardana or Planta Nova, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

 

What is the Regulating Council?

The Regulating Council or Consejo Regulador (CRDO) is the body that certifies the wineries in order to protect - and promote - the wine quality produced in the region. The Consejo Regulador works for the interests of the vine growers and wineries of the D.O. Utiel-Requena, controlling the entire wine production process from field inspection through to marketing, so that the consumer can enjoy Utiel-Requena wines with strict quality controls. The Consejo Regulador carries out different promotional activities for Utiel-Requena wines including tastings, fairs, presentations, and the dissemination of news and publications.

The CRDO Utiel-Requena is directed by more than 20 people composed of Councillors and the President who are elected to represent that whole of the viticultural sector.
As well as the regular staff, the CRDO Utiel-Requena has a Tasting Committee who sensorially examine every wine in order to qualify it for the "Utiel-Requena" certification labels, a guarantee of its quality.

The Headquarters of the D.O. Utiel-Requena. Living Wine Everyday.

The headquarters of the Consejo Regulador is in the Bodega Redonda (Round Winery), a building dating from 1891 designed by an engineer who was a disciple of Gustave Eiffel. The newer part is used for the offices and the old winery has been transformed into the Museum of Vine and Wine. The Bodega Redonda is open every day of the year, and the guided visits include a photographic exhibition showing the history of the D.O. Utiel-Requena, a collection of tools used in the fields and in the wineries, a workshop of wine aromas, and an exhibition of bottles from all the wineries in the region. The visit concludes with a guided wine tasting. For reservations, phone 00+34 96 217 10 62, ext. 111 or e-mail: museodelvino@utielrequena.org

 

CRDO Utiel-Requena:
C/ Sevilla, 12 · 46300 Utiel (Valencia) Spain
00+34 96 217 10 62 - 00+34 96 217 41 52 · Fax: 00+34 96 217 21 85
www.utielrequena.org · info@utielrequena.org