¿WHY DOES EVERYONE LOVE GARNACHA?
Resistant to extreme temperatures and with a strong personality, this is the trendy grape variety: Garnacha. However, do you know where it comes from? Easy to adapt to the climate and the land, it could not come from anywhere but Aragón (Spain), where a large number of changing microclimates occur due to its orography. Without a doubt, every wine lover when thinking of Aragón thinks of Garnacha. Moreover, it is that this wonderful Aragonese variety is trendy and is «revered» by the great wine gurus and experts in the world of wine.
Its great ability to adapt to different climatic changes and its excellent response in the maturation and elaboration of the wines have made her the «spoiled child» by a large number of wineries and professionals, such as the American critic James Suckling, who has just awarding the Spanish Garnacha 92 points and has recognized five from Aragón with «Best value». The most influential wine critic in the world, Robert Parker, is also a great lover of this variety and has praised Garnacha wines from the different Aragonese Designations of Origin on numerous occasions.
Garnacha is the second most planted red variety in Spain after Tempranillo. Although it is cultivated in most of the country, it is common to find in Aragón some hidden gems in the production areas of the Protected Designations of Origin of Calatayud, Cariñena, Somontano, Aylés and Campo de Borja, a well-known Zaragoza region as “The Empire of Garnacha” and which annually hosts numerous competitions, congresses and activities around this variety.
The grapes, most of which come from centuries-old vineyards, are highly valued because they have very little production – some barely reach a kilo per vine – and are highly concentrated, so they produce wines with a lot of expression. The most typical Garnacha is tinta (red), but there are also other varieties such as tintorera, white or peluda. These grapes are also found throughout the Aragonese community.
Aragón is a land of wine and talent. Of the 380 Master of Wine in the world, five are in Spain and two of them make wine in Aragon: Fernando Mora and Norrel Robertson. Both are great lovers of the Garnacha, the main standard-bearer of the wines they produce. In addition, the great Aragonese winemaking tradition means that professionals who have been considered the best sommeliers in Spain have also come from this region: Guillermo Cruz, Raúl Igual, Manu Jiménez and Pilar Cavero, etc.
Aragón has four Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) of wine: Cariñena, Somontano, Calatayud and Campo de Borja, as well as a Pago wine (Vino de Pago): Pago de Aylés.
In addition, it has five Wine Protected Geographical Indications (PGI): Bajo Aragón, Valle del Cinca, Ribera del Gállego – Cinco Villas, Ribera del Jiloca, Valdejalón and a sixth supra-autonomous PGI: Ribera de Queiles. They are small and familiar wineries, but they hold real treasures.
Currently, Aragón is betting on recovering the Cariñena grape, also known as Mazuelo. In fact, the Zaragoza town of Cariñena, which has a Protected Designation of Origin, one of the oldest in the world, is the only region that has a variety with its name.
Garnacha is trendy, and it produces fruity wines, with medium or low acidity, with an elegant palate, very round.
In Aragón, it is common to hear at any bar: «Put me a Garnachica». Garnacha is considered in this community a noble food, like the character of its people and of which they feel «very proud».