What does Vino de la Tierra mean?
Vino de la Tierra is Spain's protected geographical indication: the wine comes from a stated area but follows looser rules than a DO.
Also known as: VdlT, IGP
Vino de la Tierra is Spain's protected geographical indication and corresponds to IGP in the EU. It sits below DO and DOCa but above wine without a geographical indication. There are around forty such areas, often large and regional, for example Castilla, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Cádiz.
At least 85 per cent of the grapes must come from the stated area. Compared with DO the rules are looser: more grape varieties are permitted, yields may be higher and the producer has more say over winemaking and ageing. Grape variety and vintage may appear on the label, and the abbreviation IGP is sometimes used instead of the Spanish name.
Vino de la Tierra covers everything from simple everyday wines to wines from producers who have deliberately stepped outside a DO. That may be to grow varieties not approved in the area, to farm vineyards lying outside the DO boundary or to work in a style of their own.
The designation therefore tells you where the grapes were grown, but less about the ambition of the wine. The producer and the grapes tell you more.