Visit Pago de Arinzano (Navarra): what are paid wines

In recent times, the so-called paid wines, a name that refers to top quality wines.

Now, do you actually What are the paid wines and what are your characteristics?

And on the other hand, do all the brands that have the word in their name paid Do they belong to this excellent category of wines?

The best way to find out, without a doubt, is to visit one of the exclusive 20 wineries that currently exist in Spain with wines of this category, which until now we had not had the opportunity to do.

We recently visited the winery Arínzano paymentNear Estella en Navarre, which in 2007 became the third in Spain to acquire this category.

It has been a wine tourism getaway in which in addition to doing the premium visit of the winery, we enjoyed staying there for a weekend.

What are paid wines and what are their characteristics?

There we have had the opportunity to meet What characterizes the paid wines touring its vineyards and winery facilities, as well as enjoying the stay in its luxurious historic building and local cuisine.

During the visit to Pago de Arínzano we have known that the classification paid wine is highest category of wines in Spain above the appellations of origin.

Likewise, it is the result of the initiative that in 1997 had the Marquis of Griñón and Chivite family to create a top-level denomination inspired by the Castle French and the concept "terroir".

Regulated by a standard from the year 2000, only wineries that use grapes from a paid, a rural area located next to the winery buildings, with characteristics of microclimate y composition of the terrain very specific that distinguish them from other areas of their environment.

Likewise, for the elaboration of the paid wines A very exhaustive process is required, so that for a winery to be integrated into this very exclusive category, they must meet rigorous quality and uniqueness requirements in their wines.

As a consequence, they must spend up to 10 years preparing their paid wines meeting these requirements.

Now, you have to keep in mind that there are brands that use the term paid in the denomination of their wines, which does not mean that they have the category of paid wine.

Curiosities history of Pago de Arínzano in Navarra

Specifically, the aforementioned Pago de Arínzano winery It has a very long history behind it.

In fact, it is considered to be the oldest wine estate in Spain since the production of wines on that estate dates back to the year 1055, when the monks of the monastery of Santa María de Iquirre They planted vineyards for their own consumption and for the pilgrims of the the Camino de Santiago.

In 1532, when the land of Property of Arinzano passed into the hands of a counselor of the king of Navarra, that was when the building of the Armory Palace, whose tower is preserved in the winery facilities.

For its part, La Casona, the main headquarters of the winery today, is a building that was built in 1715.

After the arrival of the phylloxera to Spain in 1890, the entire vineyard was lost and the estate was divided between 12 farming families who dedicated themselves to growing cereals.

Property of Arinzano It resurfaced in 1990 due to the initiative of the Navarrese farming family. chivite, who were purchasing these lands that they considered of great value for the vine cultivation its microclimate, thanks to its location at the foot of the Mount Montejurra and on the banks of the pass Ega River.

Rafael Moneo, architect of the Pago de Arínzano winery

At the same time that they joined the aforementioned initiative to create the protected designation of origin paid wines, the famous architect was hired Rafael Moneo for the construction of winemaking facilities in the winery.

To do this, he first reformed the three historical buildings, the aforementioned mansion, tower of the Armory Palace and iglesia which had been built in the 19th century dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours.

Embracing these buildings, Moneo He built the industrial facilities with the use of concrete, wood and copper on the roofs, which, when greened, integrated them into the landscape of the vineyards.

Finally, in 2015 the Property of Arinzano passed into the hands of a International company of top quality wines that also has wineries in France, Italy and Argentina.

Of the 355 hectares owned by the Navarrese winery, 128 hectares of vineyards are dedicated to the production of their paid wines, highlighting the 70 hectares dedicated to grapes Tempranillo, while in the rest there are grapes Chardonnay, Merlot y Cabernet Sauvignon, with a total of 20 occupied plots.

What is the premium visit to the Pago de Arínzano winery like?

Face to visit the winery, you have the visit standard wine tourism and the most complete premium experience, which was what we carried out.

These visits can be made by anyone from a couple to a small group of friends.

La premium visit It begins by going up in a 4×4 vehicle to a viewpoint from which you can see all the plots with vineyards that surround the winery and extend along both banks of the river. Ega River.

From there you understand the special characteristics of this territory, which due to its orientation offers a climatology with about 5 degrees less on average in temperature compared to the surrounding areas, to which is added the atlantic influence and a adequate rainfall for grape cultivations.

Now at the viewpoint you can make a first tasting of one of the wines Arínzano Payment.

After returning to the winery, you will begin the visit of the facilities, passing first through the Preparation room where the first fermentation processes are carried out in aluminum tanks, all carried out with the most modern technology.

At this point you will know that the harvest is done by hand, plot by plot according to the winemaker's instructions.

To prepare the most select wines you bet on a poor performance of vines since they do not exceed 1.500 kg per hectare, while for the rest of the wines it reaches 3.000 kg per hectare.

Barrel room in Pago de Arínzano winery

On the subsequent tour of the Barrel Room, you will know that they are all from french oak and that they are only used for two or three years, which ensures the higher quality of wines.

In this room you will make a new tasting of three wines still in the process of elaboration.

From the almost complete Pago de Arínzano wine range, it is worth highlighting the Arinzano mansion with 70% of Tempranillo and the rest Merlot, and 14 months in barrel.

At a higher level is the Arínzano merlot, a truly excellent wine and ecological production, which also ages 14 months in barrels.

And the highest-end wines from this winery are the Arinzano Great white wine, with Chardonnay and 11 months of aging in barrels, and the Arínzano Gran Red Wine, with Tempranillo and between 14 and 18 months of aging.

You will complete the visit in a new wine tasting in the Ham Room located in the medieval tower, where the assortment of iberian has the maximum prominence.

Yes, as was our case, you have chosen to complete the visit with a stay in the winery, you have four luxurious rooms in the building La Casona, and 4 other rooms in the nearby building The villa, which is ideal for a group of friends.

I assure you that this way you will enjoy a wine tourism getaway that you will not forget, in addition to knowing the essence of paid wines, highest quality category.

Map: how to get to Pago de Arínzano in Navarra

La Pago de Arínzano winery It is located 8 kilometers south of Estella, riding a Navarre, halfway between Logroño and Pamplona.

Photos of Pago de Arínzano in Navarra

Here you have more photos of the Pago de Arínzano winery in Navarra, and its wine tourism offer.