Garnacha grape, all you did not know about it
17/07/2020
What is the Garnacha grape?
The response should start by making a brief geographical study of its origins. It is a Spanish grape and, more specifically, Aragonese, which found its moment of splendor in the mid-nineteenth century. At this time, a disease spread throughout the Spanish fields, a powdery mildew, popularly called blanquilla or ash. The Garnacha proved to be very resistant to this disease, which caused the farmers of the time to increase their cultivation.
Thus, this vine began its journey through other areas of Spain, such as the Mediterranean and La Rioja, later to make the international leap to neighboring countries such as France. Precisely this extent of its cultivation, due to recognized resistance, detracted from a grape that now, as appropriate, is finally reaching notoriety and recognition. Now the Garnacha grape is living one of its best times, both inside and outside Spain, although it is in our country where the emergence is most significant and in Grandes Vinos we are proud of this result.
You should know that Garnacha has different varieties, which we will talk about next, and also, as with most grapes, it takes different names both inside and outside our borders. Here are some examples: Alicante, cannonaddu, granaxa, cannonaddu nieddu, cannonao, cannonau selvaggio, retagliad nieddu, canonazo, carignane rosso, garnaccho negro, garnatxa país, bundante, gironet, granaccia, grenache rouge, tinto navalcarnero, lladoner, rivesaltes, rousillon tinto, rousillon, tinto aragonés o uva di Spagna.
In the last two decades, agricultural technicians and winemakers have worked to improve the knowledge of our emblematic red Garnacha, which has resulted both in its cultivation and in the elaboration to make wines of great awards and recognition from it.
What are the properties of the Garnacha grape?
In Spain, Garnacha is the third variety in terms of planting vines, only behind Tempranillo and Airén, while, internationally, it represents 4% of the total planted vines. Within our borders, its cultivation, as we said, is widespread, except in the communities of the Canary Islands, Asturias and Galicia.
Also for Grandes Vinos, in addition to our distinctive Cariñena, Garnacha has a very important role in our crops, especially red Garnacha, winning first place in terms of the varieties planted in our vineyards, totaling 33%.
From the Garnacha, very fruity wines are obtained, with hints of red and black fruits on the nose. In the mouth red fruit dominates, providing medium-high acidity and very silky and bulky wines.
On the other hand, the Garnacha is characterized by thriving in extreme temperatures, both cold and hot, so it fits perfectly with the weather of our region of Cariñena.
Our most awarded Garnachas
There are multiple awards and recognition that our Garnachas have garnered over the years, some of the most recent have been:
- Gold Medal for Garnacha Rosé Beso de Vino in “Las Garnachas del Mundo“, one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world.
- Gold medal for Garnacha Viñas Viejas Beso De Vino in the renowned international competition “Berliner Wein Trophy”.
- Golden Bacchus to Anayón Garnacha in the “XVII International Bacchus Wine Contest”.
