Arlanza wine PDO adds ice wines and five new municipalities

The European Commission has published the communication of approval of a standard amendment to the product specification of the Spanish protected designation of origin (PDO) ‘Arlanza’, in the Official Journal of the European Union (C series) of 31 August 2026. The notice, issued under Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 on geographical indications, carries the EU reference number PDO-ES-A0613-AM04 and was communicated by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The amendment was submitted by the Subdirectorate-General for Food Quality Control and Agri-Food Laboratories and is classified as a standard amendment, meaning it does not change the name, the product category or the link with the geographical area, nor does it restrict marketing. It is published in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27.

New types of wine

The most significant change adds two new wine types to category 1, the only category covered by the specification: red wines made by carbonic maceration and sweet red wines referred to as ‘ice wines’. Their analytical and organoleptic characteristics have been defined and their production conditions specified.

• Carbonic maceration: intact grapes are vatted without breaking them and kept in a CO₂-rich environment while intracellular fermentation takes place, producing alcohol and aromatic compounds.
• Ice wine: grapes must be harvested frozen, at temperatures between –2 °C and –7 °C, and pressed while still frozen, with no added sugar or alcohol; the residual sugar is natural.
• The amendment affects points 2 and 3.b.1 of the product specification and points 6 and 7.1 of the single document.

Extended demarcated area

The demarcated geographical area has been extended with five municipalities across two provinces.

• Province of Burgos: Ciadoncha, Palazuelos de Muño, Pampliega and Santa María del Mercadillo.
• Province of Palencia: Villaviudas.

The amendment affects point 4 of the product specification and point 9 of the single document. In the municipality of Villaviudas, only the area at altitude in accordance with the specification is suitable for cultivating the protected vines.

Other adjustments

The section on the link with the geographical area has been redrafted to include a reference to the production of ice wines and to improve the wording of the geographical area, without altering the link itself. In addition, point 9 of the product specification, on checking compliance, has been deleted because its inclusion is not compulsory.

The PDO covers wines produced from varieties including Albillo, Viura, Tinta del País, Garnacha Tinta, Mencía, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. White wines must be made exclusively from Albillo and Viura, while red wines must contain at least 75 % of the listed red varieties. The extreme continental climate and altitude of the area give the wines distinctive polyphenol content, body and acidity, making them particularly suited to ageing.

For Spanish wine producers, the approval broadens the commercial scope of the ‘Arlanza’ PDO by allowing new wine styles and enlarging the area where protected grapes may be grown. The full product specification is available through the regional authority ITACyL.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/4630, 31.8.2026, notices (official reference: C/2026/4630, EU ref. PDO-ES-A0613-AM04).