The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, accompanied this Thursday the DOP La Mancha at the awards ceremony for its Solidarity Awards, which have been presented for 21 years to highlight "the talent of the award recipients and the social commitment of both the award recipients themselves and the Denomination of Origin itself".
He made these remarks in statements to the media before the event held at the Museo Reina Sofía, in Madrid, which was attended by the president of this quality figure, Carlos Bonilla; the Director General of Agro-Food Production and Cooperatives, Elena Escobar; other officials of the Ministry; the president of the Provincial Council of Ciudad Real, Miguel Ángel Valverde; the mayor of Alcázar de San Juan, Rosa Melchor; the mayor of Campo de Criptana, Santiago Lázaro, and the Director General of European Affairs, Nazareth Rodrigo, among other representatives, according to a statement by the regional government in a press release.
In his remarks, Martínez Lizán stressed that "Castilla-La Mancha is a land of solidarity". He recalled that this was made evident a few days ago, with hundreds of people focused on helping after the tragic rail accident in Urda, and he connected this spirit to the awarding of prizes endowed with 5,000 euros each, which will be used to support the work of entities such as Fundación Aladina, Alas de Papel, Fundación Raíces and Fundación Sonrisas Sin Cáncer.
Thanks to this "generosity", these organizations will be able to continue developing projects to improve the lives of different groups, including vulnerable people or those affected by various illnesses. For this reason, the minister conveyed, on behalf of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, his recognition to the DOP La Mancha and congratulated both the award recipients and the social entities that will receive the donation of the amounts from these prizes.
Among the distinguished people are Paula Sevilla, a reference in Spanish athletics; Samantha Vallejo-Nágera, for her contribution to the promotion of gastronomy; Susanna Griso, for her extensive and recognized journalistic career; and José Mota, one of the most prominent figures in humor, culture, and the performing arts of Castilla-La Mancha and Spain. In addition, the Solidary Honor Award goes to Emilio Calatayud for his professional career and his commitment to values such as education, social reintegration, and coexistence, which he will donate the award to APAFES.
At the same event, the 2026 Professional Awards are also presented, this year focused on the field of restoration, with which the Regulatory Council of the DO wants to highlight the work of those who have thrown themselves into their vocation of serving wine. In this edition, 'El Mirador de La Mancha', from Villarrubia de los Ojos, is recognized, and the bar 'La Viña E' from Alcázar de San Juan.
A wine sector with social and economic impact
Martínez Lizán has said he feels “very proud” of such a relevant sector as that of wine, which, in addition to its socioeconomic weight representing 5% of the regional GDP, “has become a national point of reference” thanks, among other aspects, to the projection these awards provide to very well-known people in the cultural, sports, and communications fields.
In this context, the councillor took the opportunity to invite people to the celebration of Día del Airén, which is commemorated for the second year on November 30, this time in Albacete, with the DOP La Mancha as host. He thanked it for its work promoting this variety, the most widespread in the region and, therefore, the most representative. “Now that white wines are the ones consumers ask for the most, it is a source of pride to have this native grape that offers such good wines,” he said.
With regard to the vineyard, and within the usual payments calendar of the Department, Julián Martínez Lizán has announced that the corresponding payments for the restructured vineyard of the 2026 campaign have been completed. In total, 30.3 million euros have been transferred to the wine-growing sector to strengthen its competitiveness and resilience, and payment for the 2027 campaign has already begun, with the transfer of another seven million euros.
Likewise, the adviser has reported that in recent days the payment of the associated surface and livestock aid linked to the PAC advance has been completed, for an amount close to 40 million euros. These payments are part of the advance that Castilla-La Mancha provides each year between October 16 and the first days of November and that, in this campaign, has exceeded 421 million euros for farmers and livestock farmers.