Spanish wine laws are governed by the Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen (INDO). The wine laws currently lay out the following categories of wines:

Level A

1. Vinos de Mesa, which means table wine, is the most basic type of wine. The grapes can come from anywhere in Spain, and the bottle will simple say, "Product of Spain" on it. Most of this wine is not exported.
2. Vinos de Mesa de ____, is table wine that comes from a specific area. Each area has grape varietals that are permitted and will specify minimum alcohol levels. This label is often used by experimental wine makers that want to use grapes not normally found in the area.

Level B

1. Vinos de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica, which is on the label as Vino de la Tierra de ___, is very similar to the Vin de Pays category in France. All the grapes in these wines must come from the area mentioned on the label, and the wine must also be made and bottled in that area. The quality of the wine is judged and controlled by the consejo regulador, and the area is often waiting to apply for the higher DO status, which it may after 5 years.
2. Vinos con Denomicación de Origen, often abreviated as DO. DO wines have rules imposed by the consejo as far as what grapes are allowed and minimum alcohol levels. The rules must be ratified by INDO and the EU. Right now there are 69 DO's, and the number can change every year.
3. Vinos Con Denominación de Origen Calificada, which is abbreviated DOCa, is the highest level of classification allowed. To be a DOCa, the area had to have been a DO for at least 10 years. The quality control is even more rigorous than it is for a DO. Right now, there are only three DOCa's. Rioja was the first in 1991, followed by Priorat in 2000, and as of this year, Ribeira del Duero has also become a DOCa. Note that Priorat bottles will say DOQ instead of DOCa, because the Q stands for Qalificada in Catalan, the language spoken there.
4. Vinos de Pago. Pago means parcel, as in a parcel of land. Vinos de Pago is a special extra appellation, used mostly in La Manca, that implies a specific microclimate within a DO. It is not a higher level of quality than DOCa.

Spain also has laws governing the aging labels that can go on the bottle. The laws differ slightly depending on the DO, and many winemakers are beginning to disregard the lableing terms all together, as they feel it restricts them making the best wine possible. For example, if the consejo regulador requires that a crianza wine be aged in oak for 12 months, and the winemaker tastes the wine at 11 months of ageing and decides it is better for the wine to be bottled right then, he will forgoe the crianza designation completely. For a basic understanding of the labeling terms, Joven, which means young refers to a wine that has spent very little or no time in oak, and is not meant to be aged, but drank young and fruity. Crianza is a wine that usually must spend 12 months in oak and an additional 12 months in the bottle. With Reserva wines, the ageing time in the bottle increases to 24 months, but still only 12 months in the barrel. And with Gran Reserva wines, the wine must spend 24 months in oak, and 36 months in the bottle. Many times the winemakers will excede these lengths by a great deal before the wine is released.