Aragón

DO named after the city of the same name in the Aragon region in north-east Spain. The name goes back to a Moorish governor by the name of Ayud, who had a castle (Kalat) built here. At around the time of the birth of Christ a Roman encampment was situated in the old city of Biblis, and the famous Roman poet and writer Martial (40-102 AD) was born here. The vineyard area totals 7.300 hectares, and the vineyards, which have marl, limestone and slate soils, are located at an altitude of 500 to 900 metres above sea level, stretching out along both banks of the Jalon river, which is a tributary of the Ebro river. This is one of the hottest and driest regions in Aragon. Two thirds of the area is planted with the red variety Garnacha Tinta (Grenache Noir), which produces heavy, alcoholic wines. Other red varieties include Tempranillo, Monastrell, Mazuelo (Carignan) and more recently also Syrah. The most important white variety is Malvasia, followed by Garnacha Blanca and Moscatel Romano. Rosé wines make up around half the total production.