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The majority of wine regions in Spain are referred to as denominaciónes (similar to the French appellation) whose wine is regulated for quality according to specific laws.

The denominación is part of a wider hierarchy of quality-graded descriptors for Spanish wine regions, as follows (highest quality first):

• Denominación de Pago (DO de Pago): Recently revived by the Spanish government, los Vinos de Pago aspire to the very highest standards with extremely strict geographical criteria, centering on individual single-estates with an international reputation.
• Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa/DOQ - Denominació d'Origen Qualificada in Catalan): Regions with a proven track record of consistent quality. There are only 2 wine regions with this status, Rioja and Priorato.
• Denominación de Origen (DO - Denominació d'Origen in Catalan): mainstream quality-wine regions. There are 62 wine regions with this status.
• Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD - Spanish translation of the EU QWPSR): a 'starter home' for wine regions climbing the quality ladder. There are currently just 5 wine regions with this status, all in Castilla y León.
• Vino de la Tierra (VdlT) "Country wines" which do not have EU QWPSR status but which may use a regional name. There are 55 Vino de la Tierra regions in Spain.
• Vino de Mesa (table wine) is bulk-grown, usually drawn from a wide variety of regions and hence has no vintage or area designation on the label, apart from "Produce of Spain". Production of this low grade of Spanish wine is falling year on year. In 2006 a new Vino de la Tierra "region" was created called Viñedos de Espana (not listed below) which is also permitted to blend wines from any number of Spanish regions.^[1]

Although the majority are confined to specific centres of production, some of the top Denominaciónes, Cava and Rioja in particular, are the product of more than one Autonomous Community. This is in contrast to Denominaciónes de Pago, where the location criteria are very strict indeed, often centering on specific plots of land and admitting only those wines produced in their immediate vicinity.^[2]