The largest wine region in the world is the Spanish D.O. La Mancha. It covers an area larger than all the regions in Germany and Austria combined. Even Riesling and Gewürztraminer grow here.
Big, bigger, biggest. When people talk about the largest wine-growing region in the world, Bordeaux is often mentioned. At 113,000 hectares, it is larger than all the wine-growing areas in Germany put together. But it is even bigger: the Spanish D.O. La Mancha south of Madrid has around 152,500 hectares (as of 2022). This growing region is therefore larger than the wine regions in Germany and Austria combined. Together, they cover just under 148,000 hectares. In the D.O. sub-region of Ciudad Real alone, vines grow on around 74,300 hectares, which is much more than the entire winegrowing area in Georgia or Croatia. The designation of origin has been protected since 1932, and the region was classified as a D.O. in 1976. A few decades ago, the region was even larger than it is today. It once comprised up to 200,000 hectares of vineyards.
The huge growing area is characterised by red wine. Red grapes currently grow on around 105,800 hectares in La Mancha. There are 15 authorised red grape varieties: the traditional Tempranillo is in first place by a wide margin, occupying almost 30,000 hectares. That alone is twice the size of the growing areas in Switzerland. It is followed by Syrah, the regional variety Garnacha Tinta as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Garnacha Tintera. Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir are also produced on smaller areas.
Around 47,000 hectares belong to white wine, which is produced from 13 authorised varieties. The most important variety is the little-known Airén, which is grown on 88,000 hectares - an area only slightly smaller than the whole of Germany. Here too, the bodegas produce a mix of regional and international varieties. Among them are surprises: Gewürztraminer can even be found there on 23 hectares, Riesling on 57 and Viognier on 129 hectares. The proportion of rosé in the production is around six per cent.
Despite the huge area, the D.O. is a dry, hot and relatively homogeneous region: the soil structure of the high plateau consists mostly of reddish-brown, sandy clay, which contains a lot of limestone and chalk. Limestone layers are widespread and are often broken up by the producers to allow the vine roots to grow deeper. The differences in altitude are also only moderate: the regions around Aranjuez in the north lie at an altitude of 480 metres, while the southern moraine hills reach 700 metres.
Production is structured completely differently to Germany. Here, around 16,400 wineries, cellars and cooperatives produce their wine from the annual harvest (DWI, 2020). In the D.O. La Mancha, only 238 bodegas were registered as producers in 2022 despite the huge area. They buy and process the harvest from just under 13,800 grape growers. On average, this equates to around 58 producers per bodega. That is significantly more than in many German co-operatives.