Capital of Spain with three million inhabitants in the region of the same name in the centre of Spain within the Castilla-La Mancha region. However, Madrid only became the capital in 1562 when King Philip II (1527-1598) moved his court there. The city is the centre of Spain and the seat of the Spanish government. The king, a Catholic archbishop and important administrative and military authorities also reside here.

Phylloxera disaster

Relatively late in 1914 (30 years later than in France and northern Spain), the region was devastated by phylloxera, destroying a large part of the 60,000 hectares of vines that had once been planted. This forced the winegrowers to replant suitable grape varieties and raised the quality standard.

Vineyards & grape varieties

The region is divided into three subzones: San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Navalcarnero and Arganda. The DO area Vinos de Madrid lies in a semi-circle around the city. The vineyards cover around 11,500 hectares of vines. The white wine varieties Airén, Malvar (Lairén), Albillo Mayor, Parellada, Macabeo and Moscatel de Grano Menudo (Muscat Blanc), as well as the red wine varieties Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are cultivated.