Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/735024
104 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 After three action-packed days, our last one turns to enjoy- ing our new friendships and the beautiful place that has brought us together. We follow the distinctive winds that kiss the Arínzano property to San Sebastián before settling at Kaia, a restaurant overlooking Getaria on the Basque coast, to enjoy shrimp, tuna, clams, crab, lobster and turban straight from the salt water. The best part of the wine community is the fact that we genuinely like to laugh with one another. "This is what we tend to get wrong in the United States. Everyone is so busy and so hurried that we forget to forget about time and just enjoy each other's company," admires Dame in the middle of our jubilant lunch. In four days, our group of wine professionals learned that Arínzano will certainly be one of the great names com - ing out of Spain, with the pedigree and passion of Manuel Louzada and Diego Ribbert driving the program. We, also, relish the attention and effort of our hosts for putting together an experience that no visitor could create—a true immersion into the San Fermín Festival. The 128-hectare property in northwest Navarra achieved Vinos de Pago (VP) accreditation in 2007 for the singularity of its site. "It should be used to clarify— it is something exclusive," shares CEO of the Stoli Group Wine Portfolio and Chief Winemaker at Arínzano Manuel Louzada. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ARÍNZANO CLARIFYING VINOS DE PAGO (VP) Confusion surrounds the Vinos de Pago (VP) category in Spanish wine law, but with the help of Manuel Louzada—and sifting through and translating Spanish documents—we clari - fied the main points. It seems that we have three bodies at work here. First, let's acknowledge the Grandes Pagos de España as an independent assembly of wineries joining to market their wines together. The association has been instrumental in spreading the word about the importance of terroir in Spain, but it has no government affiliation. The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food stands as the chief governing body of all things pertaining to wine law. They decree that Vinos de Pago (VP) originate from a "place or rural site with particular soil characteristics and a microcli - mate that differentiates it and distinguishes it from others in its surroundings...and that over a five-year period they show comprehensive quality that at least meets the requirements of a DOCa," in regards to viticulture and winemaking practices. The wines must be produced and bottled on the estate. The Spanish Council of Viticulture consults with The Spanish Ministry, which complicates our understanding of the system. The Council's duties are: "to advise, inform and determine, when so requested, on any legal or regulatory provision which directly affect the Spanish wine industry," among others. The Spanish Council demands a full workbook going back ten years for Vinos de Pago (VP) status. (Louzada's submission was a 100 page hard-back book that looked like a textbook.) Once they bestow their approval, it must then be approved by The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This is why there are still only 14 official Vinos de Pago (VP), although three more await official approval. www.boe.es/boe/dias/2003/07/11/pdfs/A27165-27179.pdf DAY FOUR: A Pilgrimage to the Atlantic Coast