🍇 Mencía
A red grape of north-western Spain; 9,055 ha in Spain (2008); red Bierzo contains at least 70 % Mencía.
Mencía is a red wine grape from north-western Spain. The VIVC catalogue records 9,055 ha in the country (2008) and another 2,400 ha in Portugal. Its best-known home is Bierzo in the province of León: red wines of this appellation have to contain at least 70 % Mencía, and rosés 50 %.
According to DNA markers in VIVC, Mencía is an offspring of the Portuguese grape Alfrocheiro and of Patorra. No wonder it also grows in Portugal: in the Dão appellation it is called Jaen, and the file states plainly that Mencia is a synonym of Jaen (the Portuguese VIVC figures are for 2007).
In Galicia Mencía is the main red grape of the Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra appellations. A "Valdeorras Mencía" wine has to contain at least 85 % of the grape, and red Ribeira Sacra of the Súmmum category at least 60 % Mencía. The Bierzo file limits yields to 12,000 kg/ha; the zone borders Galicia and Asturias.
A study of 30 young Valdeorras wines from 2014 (the journal Beverages, 2016) showed that Mencía wines have a less intense colour and fewer polyphenols than wines from Alicante Bouschet, as well as their own anthocyanin "fingerprint".
Why it matters to you. Portuguese "Jaen" and Spanish "Mencía" on a label are the same grape. On an EU wine a grape name means at least 85 % of that grape, and red Bierzo contains at least 70 % Mencía even without the grape on the label. Red wines are served at 15–18 °C.
Facts
| Country | Spain |
|---|---|
| Region | Bierzo, Galicia; Spain 9,055 ha (2008); Dão (Jaen) |
| Main use | wine grape |
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Mencía → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- What is made from it
- 🥃 Aguardiente de hierbas de Galicia
- Traditions
- 🌍 Southern Europe
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ Spanish wine
- Where it grows
- 📍 Bierzo, 📍 Ribeira Sacra, 📍 Valdeorras, 📍 Dão, 📍 Galicia, 📍 Monterrei, 📍 Castile and León
- Main grape in
- 📍 Ribeira Sacra, 📍 Bierzo, 📍 Dão, 📍 Monterrei, 📍 Valdeorras
- Parents
- 🍇 Alfrocheiro, 🍇 Patorra
Frequently asked questions
Where does Mencía come from?
From north-western Spain; the best-known wines come from Bierzo in the province of León.
Is it true that Jaen from Dão is a different grape?
No. The Dão appellation file states plainly that Mencia is a synonym of Jaen, and VIVC confirms it.
What are Mencía's parents?
Alfrocheiro and Patorra, according to DNA markers (VIVC).
How much Mencía is in red Bierzo?
At least 70 %, and in rosé 50 % (PDO Bierzo file).
How much Mencía is grown?
9,055 ha in Spain (2008) and 2,400 ha in Portugal (2007), according to VIVC.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Spanish wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📍 Dão — The DOP Dão appellation in north-central Portugal: a granite plateau ringed by mountains, demarcated in 1908; 9,834 ha (2025).
- 🌍 Southern Europe — The Mediterranean south of Europe — Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal: sheep's and goat's milk cheeses and most of the world's olive oil.
- 🥃 Aguardiente de hierbas de Galicia — Galician herb spirit based on Orujo de Galicia pomace brandy and flavoured with at least three herbs: an EU protected name, 37.5–50% ABV, sugar under 100 g/l.
- 📍 Monterrei — The warmest Galician area, next to Portugal.
Similar
🍇 Godello · 🍇 Pedro Ximénez · 🍇 Alfrocheiro · 🍇 Macabeo · 🍇 Castelão · 🍇 Cayetana Blanca
Sources
- eAmbrosia — technical file: PDO «Bierzo» (Ares(2014)2131447)
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Mencía
- VIVC: area statistics MENCIA
- eAmbrosia — technical file: PDO «Dão» (Ares(2017)1294554)
- eAmbrosia — technical file: PDO «Valdeorras» (Ares(2014)4294127)
- Revilla E. et al. Phenolic Composition and Color of Single Cultivar Young Red Wines Made with Mencia and Alicante-Bouschet Grapes in AOC Valdeorras. Beverages, 2016
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (grape varieties on labels)
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019