Rueda is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the Community of Castile and León.

The wines produced enjoyed great commercial success in part due to the clarification process used which involved the use of local clay.

Had it not been for the local winegrower Ángel Rodríguez Vidal (Bodega Martinsancho), who adopted this variety and contributed to re-establishing its prominence in the region.

The idea of creating a DO was first raised in 1935, but it was not until 1972 that major investment by the Rioja winery, Marqués de Riscal, signalled the start of a second era of quality wine production, again based on the Verdejo variety.

The DO encompasses an area of 16,165 hectares (39,940 acres)[1] and is centered around the town of Rueda, in the province of Valladolid about 170 kilometres (110 mi) northwest of Madrid.

Temperatures vary widely and can drop to −1 °C (30 °F) in winter and can reach 30 °C (86 °F) in summer, which is not as high as similar wine-producing regions in Southern Central Spain.