DO

DO stands for Denominación de Origen and is the Spanish designation of origin, equivalent to the French AOC or the Italian DOC. A DO is a delimited wine area with rules for which grapes may be used, how the wine is made, and how it is aged. So when a bottle carries a DO, it guarantees that the wine comes from precisely that area and has been checked according to the area's rules. The system is part of a hierarchy in which DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada) is the step above and the highest level, so far including, among others, Rioja and Priorat.

For you as a consumer, a DO is a help in knowing what you are dealing with. It tells you something about origin and style, for example powerful Tempranillo reds from Ribera del Duero or fresh white wines from Rueda. Many DOs also use the ageing terms Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, which indicate how long the wine has rested, including in barrel, before it was sold.

You recognise a DO on the label, where the area's name appears together with a small official control stamp on the back of the bottle. A widespread misunderstanding is that a DO is in itself a guarantee of quality. It primarily says something about origin and about the rules having been followed, not necessarily that this particular wine is excellent. The producer's work and the vintage matter at least as much.