Ever since its origins in the Iberian settlement of Cerro de las Cabezas (4th to 3rd Centuries B.C.), grape seeds have been found inside earthenware jars. Decorations with grapevine motifs have also been found on tombstones from the Roman era. The Romans improved growing techniques and introduced the single bottom plough. Even in the Muslim period, it is said that the Caliph of Cordoba issued a bull allowing the consumption of wine, provided that it was from Valdepeñas.
In Medieval times, in order to repopulate the area of Valdepeñas, which belonged to the Order of Calatrava, the charter of Cuenca (1190) was used as a model. This document fostered grape-growing by placing cornfields and vineyards on the same level and protecting the latter with measures of punishment. The division and fencing in of vineyards was imposed to safeguard them from thieves and livestock, and the beginning of the vintage and deadlines for starting gleanings or permission for entry of livestock after the harvest is finished was stated.
It was precisely the manner in which the repopulation took place that marked not only the type of settlements but also economic dedication: the Military Orders set aside certain lands, called tierra dominicata, for their own direct use, while the remaining land was divided among the new settlers under advantageous conditions. However, most of the land was not shared out and these large expanses of land were used for livestock purposes. The farmers who were granted land were required to plant vineyards, which was a crop linked to tradition and Christian liturgy. As a result of this policy, the Orders became the undeniable protagonists of the consolidation of the region as a winemaking area, thus fostering livestock ranching on lands under their direct power and vineyards on those of the new settlers, in an effort to connect the population to the land through a very traditional crop and at the same time preventing the arrival of the Muslims due to the prohibition under the Koran. Moreover, under the tithing system they ensured their supply of wine for internal consumption and significant income from licences to plant and fence in vineyards, to sell wine beyond their jurisdiction and the decision to charge a cuartillo (approx. 504 ml) per wineskin sold. Hence their interest in working to the benefit of grape-growing and introducing new varieties.
It is worth noting the connection between Valdepeñas and Burgundy, via the founder of the Order of Calatrava, the abbot, S. Raimundo de Fitero, who was initiated at the abbey of Vougeot in Burgundy and ended up in Calatrava la Vieja, passing through Navarra, Rioja and Valbuena de Duero.
In the modern era, as the Orders were incorporated into the Crown, grape-growing increased in part because the public lands were privatised and vineyards planted, and also because the town councils were seeking greater sources of income and a way to become wine self-sufficient, thereby favouring it over other crops or livestock. Despite this expansion, the economy continued to be dominated by livestock ranching and unirrigated cereal crops, the basic sustenance of the population. For example, in the late 16th Century, in Valdepeñas, cereal provided 65% of the production and vineyards, 19%. The prosperity of Valdepeñas led Felipe II to enact a Royal Bond under which he sold the village to Mr. Alvaro de Bazán in 1585, stating in the document of sale that the main wealth of the village came from grape-growing and wine.
According to tradition, during the reign of Carlos III, a large amount of wine was consumed, especially in Valdepeñas, where a law was created to avoid excess. Taverns and inns were required to provide a lid (“tapa”) to put on pitchers or glasses of wine, and on top of this lid, they put a bit of food so that the wine would not be drunk on an empty stomach, thus reducing the effects of the alcohol; thus the famous “tapa” was created. Thanks to the “alcabalas” or taxes for consuming these wines, funding was gathered for part of the construction of the Gates of Alcalá and Toledo. Primarily, rosé wine was consumed. It is also said that Carlos III paid part of the wages for the artisans who built them with these wines. This is demonstrated with the expression that goes “En Madrid, ciudad bravía/ hay más de trescientas tabernas/ y una sola librería” (In Madrid, fierce city/ there are over three hundred taverns/ but just one bookshop). There are still taverns and restaurants in Madrid that continue to offer Valdepeñas wine today.
In the 19th Century, winemaking centres were created in areas that are near to and well communicated with Madrid: Valdepeñas, Manzanares and Daimiel, near the road to Andalusia and at the intersection between Castile and Levante. In the late 19th Century, the railroad and new infrastructures facilitated the commercialisation and development of the winemaking industry in Valdepeñas. The chronicles recount that the “wine train” carried some 30 cars loaded with hundreds of wineskins to Madrid every day. This success was cut short in 1911 by the phylloxera crisis that had devastated France years earlier. In the early 20th Century, Valdepeñas had over 100 wineries.
In 1932, the Estación de Viticultura y Enología (Viticulture and Oenology Station) was created to stem the outbreak of phylloxera. This would be the origin of the Regulation Council (1968), in charge of monitoring the production, preparation and quality of the wines.
The Valdepeñas Designation of Origin currently includes 10 municipalities, about 30,000 hectares of vineyards and over 30 wineries. This city is oriented towards wine tourism, with the Museo del Vino, housed in a former winery belonging to Leocadio Morales from the early 20th Century (1901) with a well presiding over the centre of the courtyard. There is also a loading dock, scales, vat for crushing the grapes, a “chilanco” (large wine glass), the different winepresses used, a wine cellar of earthenware jars and the cave. The “Tren del Vino” initiative, which received a Castilla-La Mancha regional tourism prize, the sculpture, “La Puerta del Vino”, and the possibility to take tours and wine-tasting courses at the city’s numerous wineries are also available.
The main varieties pertaining to the Regulation Council are:
• RED OR TEMPRANILLO. It produces wines with low acidity but great potential fragrances and flavours.
• GARNACHA (GRENACHE) RED, with a higher alcohol content, it ages quickly. It must be mixed to give it body or smoothness.
• CABERNET SAUVIGNON RED, international. Very rich in tannins. It must age several years after storage in oak barrels.
• AIRÉN WHITE: Wines with fruity aromas.
• MACABEO WHITE: With more alcohol and greater acidity. A fruity aroma. Good for aging.
However, the Valdepeñas D.O. allows new varieties such as Chardonnay, Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc and small grain Muscatel. And in reds: Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah.
