Álava opens the call for grants for historic vineyards with 345,174 euros

The Foral Government Council of the Provincial Council of Álava has approved Foral Decree 33/2026, of September 29, which establishes the regulatory bases for a specific aid for the promotion of the conservation and maintenance of historical and remarkable vineyards in the Historical Territory of Álava and approves the call for applications for 2026. The provision, promoted by the Department of Agriculture, is published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 121, corresponding to Wednesday, October 21, 2026, with a credit reserve of 345,174.36 euros.

The new regulation arises from the confluence of two regimes that until now coexisted separately. On one hand, Foral Decree 19/2025, of June 3, regulated the aid for remarkable vineyards included in the catalog approved by Foral Decree 16/2025, of May 20. On the other, since 2018, a line of aid had been granted for vineyards termed “old,” planted up to and including 1965, regulated by Foral Decree 30/2018, of June 26, and successively modified by foral decrees 19/2020, 14/2021, and 11/2025.

The text justifies the merger based on the need to avoid “duplication and confusion” generated by two separate calls for the same objective and the observation that the previous line “has been an incentive to curb the uprooting of old vineyards, but has not been sufficient.” The statement of facts emphasizes that low productivity, pests, narrow spacing, and broken topography have pushed the uprooting and replanting of these plots, despite being “a fundamental part of the productive whole of the Rioja Alavesa vineyard.”

Premiums from 150 to 600 euros per hectare

The aid consists of the payment of a premium per hectare of vineyard located in the Historical Territory of Álava, intended to cover the costs or the reduction in income derived from the maintenance of these plantations. The amounts are staggered according to the classification category:

• Old Vineyards: 150 euros per hectare.
• Remarkable Vineyards: 300 euros per hectare.
• Notable Vineyards: 450 euros per hectare.
• Monumental Vineyards: 600 euros per hectare.

The 2026 call sets a maximum amount of 10,000 euros per agricultural holding and is financed through item 40104. G/419401/47900408 “Maintenance of Remarkable Vineyards” of the Council’s expenditure budget for the fiscal year. This credit may be increased in accordance with Article 21 of Foral Rule 11/2016, of October 19, provided that the increase does not exceed 100 percent of the amount initially reserved.

Ten business days and electronic office

The application period is ten business days starting from the day following the publication of the call in the BOTHA. Interested parties may submit their requests at:

• The General Registry of the Provincial Council of Álava.
• The registry of the Tax Offices of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Laguardia, and Llodio.
• Any of the registries provided for in article 16.4 of Law 39/2015, of October 1.

Electronic submission through the electronic office https://www.araba.eus/MahastiAraba/ is mandatory for legal entities, entities without legal personality, those exercising professional activity with mandatory membership in a professional association, and those representing an interested party obliged to interact electronically with the administration.

Requirements and allocation of credit

Natural and legal persons who are holders of an agricultural holding registered in the Registry of Agricultural Holdings of the Historical Territory of Álava, who are up to date with their tax and Social Security obligations, have no irregular vineyards, and have not requested the uprooting of the plot for which they are applying for aid, may apply for the line. The plots must be registered in the Viticultural Registry of Álava and in the catalog of historical and remarkable vineyards, and be maintained with cultivation tasks that include at least soil maintenance and pruning.

The 2026 cataloging procedure concluded with Provincial Order 256/2026, of August 20, published in BOTHA number 98, of August 28, 2026, which revised and updated previous catalogings in accordance with Provincial Decree 25/2026, of July 14. The processing of the files corresponds to the Viticulture and Enology Service, and the valuation to a collegiate body composed of the head of that service, a technical person from the same, and the head of the Agricultural Technical Secretariat Service.

The grant is resolved on a competitive basis with the limit of the available credit, with pro-rating if the requests exceed the allocation. Holdings owned by a woman, under shared ownership, or by a legal entity with at least 50 percent of shares in the hands of women are excluded from the pro-rating and shall receive the full amount, in application of article 15.c of Law 8/2015, of October 8, of the Statute of the Woman Farmer. The maximum period for issuing and notifying the resolution is six months from the end of the application period, with negative administrative silence.

The decree expressly repeals Provincial Decree 19/2025 and Provincial Decree 30/2018 along with their amendments, and enters into force the day following its publication in the BOTHA. The text is signed by the General Deputy, Ramiro González Vicente, the Provincial Deputy for Agriculture, Noemí Aguirre Quintana, and the Director of Agriculture, David Fernández Sarabia.

The call comes at a time when the old vineyards of Rioja Alavesa are facing a gradual replacement by more productive young plantations. With this unified line, the wine sector of the region has a single support framework to preserve plots of high genetic, landscape, and enological value, although the scope for action is limited by an application period of only ten business days and by a credit that will be distributed on a competitive basis.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA), no. 121, of October 21, 2026, section I, page 1 (official reference: 2026-02923).