Highlight of wineries in:
01 DO Cariñena
The largest and oldest Aragonese DO, Cariñena was demarcated in 1932 and also shares its name with the grape (known as Carignan in France).
Garnacha under vine: 4,400 hectares Winery:
Bodegas Ignacio Marín (1903) is a prominent familyowned estate in the heart of the Cariñena. Their historic winery with its breathtaking spiral design combines gravity technology and an emphasis on oak ageing. A wide range of wine styles is available, though the more modern ones stand out. For instance, the Wine Wings range is named for various birds, with the Golondrina representing a multi-vintage harmony of 2016 and 2017 Garnacha (from 60 year old vines) with 2015 Cariñena (grape). Elegant, lively and rounded, this ‘riserva especial’ lives up to its joyful label.
02 DO Campo de Borja
Campo de Borja received its DO status in 1980, professing very old vineyards dating to 1890 and with half of its Garnacha acreage qualifying as old vines at 30 to 50 years old. You can identify this DO by full-bodied and intensely fruity style.
Garnacha under vine: 4,000 hectares
Winery:
Bodegas Aragonesas (1984) is one of the largest wineries in the appellation, thanks to 3,700 hectares producing 7 million bottles annually. It prides itself on Garnacha, produced under flagship brands Fagus, Coto de Hayas, Garnacha Centenaria, Galiano, Don Ramón and Aragonia. Aragus Ecologica, an organic bottling, is redolent of the wild rosemary that dot its vineyards, while the highest end Galiano commands a €80 price tag. With yields of less than 1kg per 50-year-old vine, the fruit is carefully managed for an exceptionally silky and high-toned palate.
03 DO Calatayud
Calatayud achieved its DO status in 1990, an encouraging sign for its cooperative and private bodegas to pursue higher quality Garnacha. It has since introduced a new category of Calatayud Superior, made from vines that are at least 50 years old.
Garnacha under vine: 2,000 hectares
Winery:
Bodegas San Alejandro (1962) comprises a cooperative of 150 families, working 950 hectares and 1,250 plots – one of the largest in the area. Its range is accordingly varied, among them Evodia for a perfumed, intense and modern bottling; Las Rocas
with its characteristic freshness and granitic character; and Balthasar Gracián, its emblematic range. Named after the famed 17th century writer who was born 8km from the site of the winery, this range fully respects the purity and minerality of old vine Garnacha, with savoury concentration of the fruit.
On the other side
In the beautiful region of Roussillon north of the national border from Spain, Grenache covers about 30% of the wine acreage and is found in variations including Noir, Gris and Blanc. The winegrowing area is bounded on three sides by mountain ranges, creating an amphitheatre that opens to the Mediterranean Sea.
Vin Doux Naturels (VDN) or fortified sweet wine dominates, making up 80% of the national production hence you’ll find 5 PDOS and different varietals including Grenache, Macabeu, Malvoisie du Roussillon and Muscats. In the 9 PDOS for dry wine, red varieties are favoured – the Carignan equally as important as Grenache, alongside Cinsault and Mouvèdre.
It’s easy to see the Spanish influence in this region, which didn’t become part of France until the 17th century. There is a cosy community of 25 cooperative cellars and 380 private/family winemakers spread out across a pastiche of micro-terroirs. It's worth noting that Domaine du Clos de Fées paved the way in 1998 for a modern, enigmatic cult wine, when sommelier-journalist turned winemaker Hervé Bizeul audaciously defined the style that would command prices formerly unheard of in this region.
Winery highlights
Some, like Mas Amiel and Maison Cazes, are storied houses with memorable offerings for tourism. 200-year-old Mas Amiel, one of the most famous producers in Maury, offers picnics, sunset aperitifs, and sweet wine tastings with cheese or chocolate, but the real stars are its fortified oxidised wines that are first aged for in 1,000 glass demijohns, dramatically arrayed outside the winery. Subsequently the wines go into 350-hectolitre oak casks for 20, 30 and 40 years that get progressively more complex with bitter almond and spice notes. (Distributed by Vintage Club in Singapore)
At Maison Cazes, an excellent restaurant, La Table d’aimé, threatens to overshadow the small glimpse of oak barrels cellared onsite. Established in 1895 and in the hands of the 4th generation
Emmanuel Cazes today, the 220-hectare domaine was one of the first in the region to be organic and biodynamic certified. Their dry reds like Le Credo (Grenache dominant) and Alter (Syrah dominant) are fresh and well-balanced, while the precious VDN are aged in very old barrels that Emmanuel describes as “completely confit by the wine” over the years, giving a signature elegance. A new project, the 90-hectare Les Clos de Pauliles receives more sea and mineral influences and will be worth tracking in following years.
Chateau de L’OU is a well-kept secret no longer, thanks to its uncompromising pursuit of quality. Séverine and Philippe Bourrier farm their estate organically, with the word l’ou being Catalan for egg after the egg-shaped well on the property. While Syrah is a bigger project for them, their Grenache Rhapsody is made in an integrated vinification, in the same virgin 500L barrel from start to finish, including 5 week maceration with manual punchdown, then emptied and pressed before the cooper comes onsite to seal the barrels. (Distributed by Terroir Wines in Singapore)
A surprise awaits at the outstanding boutique Domaine Gardiés in the village of Vingrau, at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Jean Gardiés took over family vines in the 1990s and has been winning rave reviews for his structured, precise winemaking with a lingering impression of the terroir: black schists from Espira
Agly and clay-limestone from Vingrau. The Clos des Vignes Rouge is 70% Grenache-carignan from their oldest 100-year-old vines, and is traditionally macerated in concrete tanks before ageing 12 months in 600L barrels. Jean’s meticulousness extends to premium handmade glassware for the tasting.
Grenache/garnacha's old vine revival has prompted its rising star status overseas, which is helping it shed its former value wine reputation while catapulting into a category of sophisticated wines worth seeking out. What's old can indeed be new again.