Spain has the largest vineyard area in the world, which makes a winery an accessible business format for a foreigner who wants to invest in land and their own product. You can buy an operating winery with vineyards, a vineyard on its own, or build production from scratch and add wine tourism. But this is a regulated agricultural business: new vines can only be planted with a permit under a strict quota, production must be entered in several registers and accounted for to the tax agency, and on the islands and in border zones a non-EU buyer needs military authorisation. Here is the market, land prices, permits, subsidies and how to combine a winery with a residence permit.
Spain’s wine market in figures
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) report for 2025:
- vineyard area: 919,000 hectares, first in the world and 13.1% of the global area;
- wine production: 28.7 million hectolitres, third in the world; the harvest fell by 7.7% after a third consecutive dry year;
- exports: 19.6 million hectolitres worth €3.0 billion, second in the world by volume after Italy; the main buyer is Germany.
That works out at an average export price of about €1.5 per litre: €3.0 billion for 19.6 million hectolitres. So a small winery struggles to make money on volume, and the bet is usually on quality status, the brand and direct sales to tourists and buyers abroad.
Wine business formats
- Buy an operating winery with vineyards. The fastest entry: the property already has vines, registrations, a brand and sales channels. The rights to the vineyard pass with the purchase, while planting authorisations cannot be sold separately.
- Buy a vineyard and sell grapes to wineries or a cooperative. Less investment in equipment, but income depends on the harvest and purchase prices.
- Build a winery on your own or purchased vineyards. The long route: new planting is limited by quota, and the first wine will take several years.
- Wine tourism. Tastings, tours and wine sales to visitors. In 2024 the wineries and wine museums on Spain’s 37 wine routes received 3,036,878 visitors, with an economic impact of €112.3 million.
How much vineyard land costs
According to provisional Ministry of Agriculture data for 2024, a hectare of rain-fed vineyard cost €15,358 on average and an irrigated one €17,735. Prices vary enormously between regions.
| Region | Rain-fed vineyard, €/ha | Irrigated vineyard, €/ha |
|---|---|---|
| La Rioja | 40,155 | 44,509 |
| Navarre | — | 32,745 |
| Castile and León (Ribera del Duero) | 13,538 | 24,716 |
| Catalonia (Penedès, Priorat) | 22,739 | — |
| Andalusia (Jerez) | 19,112 | — |
| Castilla-La Mancha | 7,734 | 14,753 |
| Spanish average | 15,358 | 17,735 |
This is the price of agricultural land. Winery buildings, equipment, the brand and wine stocks are valued separately. When buying land from a private seller, regional transfer tax is paid.
Can you plant a new vineyard
Only with a permit. The EU authorisation system limits vineyard growth, and in Spain it is applied by Royal Decree 1338/2018:
- Each year the Ministry of Agriculture sets the area for new planting at no more than 1% of the country’s vineyard area. For 2026 it allocated 903 hectares, or 0.1%.
- Applications are submitted from 15 January to the end of February to the authority of the autonomous community where the vines will be planted. If applications exceed the available area, one applicant receives no more than 5 hectares.
- A new planting authorisation is valid until the end of the third season after it is granted, a replanting authorisation after grubbing up for up to eight seasons.
- Authorisations cannot be sold, except through inheritance, company mergers and divisions and a few other cases. That is why vine rights come with the vineyard.
For a foreign investor the conclusion is simple: buying an existing vineyard is faster and more reliable than counting on new planting.
Wine quality levels
A wine’s status has a strong effect on the price of a bottle. Quality levels are set by Law 6/2015:
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Vino de la Tierra | wine with a protected geographical indication (PGI) |
| Vino de Calidad | wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO) |
| Denominación de Origen (DO) | high prestige; the area held “Vino de Calidad” status for at least 5 years |
| Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) | at least 10 years as a DO, sold only in bottles from wineries in the area |
| Vino de Pago | wine from a single estate known on the market for at least 5 years; made and bottled by the vineyard owner |
Registrations and reports a winery needs
- Vineyard Register (Registro Vitícola), kept by the autonomous community.
- Health Register of food businesses (RGSEAA): wine production and bottling count as food production.
- Register of wine bottlers: its number must appear on the label.
- Declarations in the INFOVI system. The harvest is declared by 10 December. Wineries producing 1,000 hectolitres or more on average file monthly, by the 20th; smaller ones twice a year, in December and August.
- Excise accounting. The excise rate on still and sparkling wine is €0. But by law a winery is an excise production facility: it is entered in the territorial register with a CAE code, files a quarterly summary of wine movements and keeps electronic SILICIE records. A winery producing no more than 100,000 litres a year may keep paper books on request. Fortified wines are not zero-rated: €38.48 per hectolitre up to 15% alcohol and €64.13 above.
- Labelling. Since 8 December 2023 wine must show nutrition information and ingredients. The energy value is enough on the label, the rest can be provided via an electronic link; allergens are printed on the label.
Subsidies for wineries
Royal Decree 905/2022 on the EU Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan provides support for the wine sector:
| What is subsidised | Share of costs |
|---|---|
| Restructuring and conversion of vineyards to other varieties or growing methods | 45%; 50% for organic or integrated production, young applicants under 40 and insured holdings |
| Investment in the winery: equipment, buildings, areas for showing and selling wine to tourists | 40%; 50% in less developed regions; 75% in the Canary Islands. The full rate applies to small and medium-sized enterprises |
| Wine promotion outside the EU | the percentage is approved by the sector conference; no more than 5% of the programme budget per company |
General business support programmes are covered in our guides to business grants in Spain and ENISA financing.
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What a foreigner needs to consider
Buying land in special zones
Law 8/1975 on zones of interest for national defence requires a non-EU foreigner to obtain military authorisation to buy rural or urban land and to build in restricted-access zones. Under the list in Royal Decree 689/1978 they include all the islands, Galicia, the borders with Portugal and France, the area around the Strait of Gibraltar and the Bay of Cádiz, Cartagena, Ceuta and Melilla. For a winery in Galicia, for example in the Rías Baixas area, or in Mallorca this is a separate step in the purchase. The restriction does not apply to EU citizens.
Company and residence permit
A winery can be owned directly or through a Spanish company. How to register a company and what taxes it pays is covered in our guide to doing business in Spain.
Buying a business or land does not in itself give a residence permit: the investor golden visa was abolished on 3 April 2025. Those who will run the winery themselves can use the self-employment residence permit, cuenta propia, which requires a business plan and sufficient investment. More in our guides to cuenta propia in Spain and switching a permit to self-employment. If you live on income from other assets and the winery is an investment, the non-lucrative residence permit works, but you cannot work at the winery yourself on it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy a winery in Spain?
Yes. The only restriction applies in zones of interest for defence: on the islands, in Galicia and along some borders a non-EU buyer needs military authorisation.
How much does a hectare of vineyard cost in Spain?
According to provisional Ministry of Agriculture data for 2024, an average of €15,358 per hectare of rain-fed vineyard and €17,735 for irrigated. In La Rioja it is over €40,000, in Castilla-La Mancha around €7,700.
Can you plant a new vineyard?
Only with a permit within the annual quota. For 2026, 903 hectares were allocated for new planting across Spain, and if the area runs short one applicant gets no more than 5 hectares.
Is excise duty charged on wine?
The excise rate on still and sparkling wine is €0, but a winery must register as an excise production facility, obtain a CAE code and keep records. Fortified wines carry excise from €38.48 per hectolitre.
Is a residence permit granted for buying a winery?
No, the investor visa was abolished on 3 April 2025. You can run your own winery on a self-employment residence permit, or live on income from assets with a non-lucrative permit.
What subsidies are available for wineries?
Support for vineyard restructuring covers 45–50% of costs, for investment in the winery 40%, 50% in less developed regions and 75% in the Canary Islands.
How many tourists visit Spanish wineries?
In 2024 the wineries and wine museums on Spain’s 37 wine routes received 3,036,878 visitors. The busiest were the Jerez, Ribera del Duero and Penedès routes.
Sources
- OIV: State of the World Wine Sector in 2025
- Spanish Ministry of Agriculture: agricultural land prices, 2024
- Royal Decree 1338/2018 on vine planting authorisations
- New planting area for 2026
- Law 24/2003 on vines and wine
- Law 6/2015 on designations of origin
- Royal Decree 739/2015 on wine sector declarations
- Royal Decree 191/2011, health register of food businesses
- Law 38/1992 on excise duties
- Royal Decree 1165/1995, excise duty regulation
- Spanish Tax Agency: SILICIE electronic records
- EU Regulation 2021/2117, wine labelling
- Royal Decree 905/2022, wine sector subsidies
- ACEVIN: wine tourism on Spain’s wine routes in 2024
- Law 8/1975 on zones of interest for national defence
