D.O. Rías Baixas Regulating Council
The Rías Baixas Regulating Council, as with the other Wine Designations of Origin in Spain, is the governing body of its Designation of Origin and the ultimate guarantor of the quality and origin of its wines.
The Rías Baixas Designation of Origin is the union between the producers (vine growers) and the winemakers (bodegas) of the territory stipulated in the D.O. Rías Baixas Quality Manual. Decisions are made between these two as to the best way of working the land and making the wine, taking into account the intrinsic characteristics of Rías Baixas, together with the proven know-how acquired over the years, in order to ensure that a wine originating from this D.O. possesses the highest possible quality.
Our functions
The main functions of the Regulating Council of the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin are as follows: Origin Control, Quality Certification, Market Control and the promotion of the wines under its administration. Find out more details!
Origin Control
Quality Control work in the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin begins as soon as a wine estate has been registered at the Wine Regulating Council. Shortly before the harvest, the crop size and grape quality are assessed from a representative percentage of vineyard plots in the different sub-zones of the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin. During the harvest, the Wine Council, via its inspectors, carries out audits at the wineries to check that the conditions stipulated in the specifications dossier are being properly met and that the official grape harvesting requirements are being fulfilled.
Quality Certification
Wines belonging to the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin are verified batch by batch. Thus, each time a winery wishes to qualify a quantity of its wine as Rías Baixas, it has to apply for authorisation from the Wine Regulating Council, which sends an inspector to the winery to carry out the taking of wine samples from sealed vats. These undergo analysis (physical and chemical) in a laboratory approved by ENAC in accordance with UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 regulations, as well as by a tasting or sensorial analysis carried out by the Wine Council’s tasting panel, the aim of which is to verify, prior to the bottling of the wine, that the Quality Control performed at the winery has been efficient.
The Regulating Council also concerns itself with the care and protection of the wines of its Designation of Origin. To this end, it collaborates with other bodies, such as the ICA, in Product Control, the aim of which is to prevent fraud in the markets. It also carries out its own controls in the market.
Promotion of wines
Another of the main functions of the Regulating Council is to promote the Designation of Origin and its wines. This promotional work has helped Rías Baixas wines to penetrate markets not only in Spain but also in a large number of export markets.
The painstaking work performed by all the actors in the appellation (wineries, growers, administrators and the Council’s personnel) has helped generate great economic benefits in those regions covered by the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin. This has resulted in wine-growing becoming the second largest sector in the region’s economy.
ENAC certification
The Rías Baixas Regulating Council gained official certification from the Entidad Nacional de Certificación (ENAC) in November 2014, and this status has been renewed each year since. This is an international certification that complies with UNE-ISO/IEC 17065 regulations, which meet the OCM requirements for wine production and commerce for all European indications of quality. With this certification, the Control and Certification Body, which is responsible for guaranteeing the wines of this appellation throughout the whole of their processes, helps reinforce consumer confidence in the reliability of the Rías Baixas name.
Documentation
Furthermore, all the work that has been carried out over the years by the Regulating Council, its wineries and its growers, has generated comprehensive, detailed documentation in which the whole wine production process is set out in minute detail, from the Quality Manual, the Regulating Council’s specifications sheet, operating procedures and technical instructions, to specific harvesting, labelling and sparkling wine production regulations.
Our headquarters
The headquarters of the Regulating Council are at the Pazo de Mugartegui in Pontevedra on the Plaza de La Pedreira (so-called because of the stone-carving activities once performed there by stonemasons from the town of Lérez). Built during the 17th and 18th centuries, Pazo de Mugartegui is a fine example of Baroque urban architecture. It is the work of master-stonemason Pedro Antonio Ferreiro, who finished its construction (except for the gable with the coat of arms) in 1771.
The Pazo de Mugartegui’s façade displays the coats of arms of the Figueroa, Araújo, Miranda and Quirós families, while its upper section bears a magnificent sundial. The building is currently owned by the Pontevedra Town Hall, which commissioned the architect Jesús Aser Fole to refurbish and restore it. When restoration work was completed, the building was ceded to the Rías Baixas Wine Regulating Council, and in March 2001 it was inaugurated for these new functions.
The latest news from our D.O.
On a daily basis, the Rías Baixas Regulating Council is a hive of activity. In this section of the website you can find out all about our promotional activities and keep up to date with all the latest news about the wines of our D.O.
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