Landscape and territorial heritage in the Wine Designations of Origin of the Ebro Valley (Spain)

Abstract

Every territory is expressed by a landscape and constitutes the heritage of the society that inhabits it. The Protected Designation of Origin is a legal entity that contributes to the construction of the territory, providing patrimonial value and designing landscape. The objectives of this work are: to identify the landscape components of the Designations, to weigh the patrimonial value of their territorial elements and to analyze the way in which they are managed and put into value. The following aspects have been considered: morphological characteristics of the vineyard landscape, physiognomy of the wineries, existence of zoning or terroir cartography, cultivated vine varieties, association of wine brands and local place names and linkage of wine tourism with other forms of tourism. As case studies, the seven Protected Designations of Origin of the Ebro Valley (Spain) have been chosen. Significant similarities and differences among them have been observed, and the results can be summarized in the identification of two different models: the first one, characterized by a high value of the terroir and the native vine varieties, as well as a strong link to the territory, and the second one, with opposite characteristics.