Origin:	Spain / Catalunya / Priorato
Grape variety:	Carignan
Label:	Vegan
Ripening potential:	4 to 15 years
Drinking temperature:	16 to 18 °C
Food Pairing:	Châteaubriand, Filet Wellington, Saddle of lamb fillet with herb jus, Roast saddle of venison, Bistecca fiorentina, T-Bone steak, Wild fowl, Spicy hard cheese
Vinification:	long must fermentation, Pumping over
Harvest:	hand-picking, in small boxes
Maturation:	in new barriques, long cultivation
Bottling:	filtration
Maturation duration:	18 months
Volume:	14.5 %
Note:	Contains sulphites

Grape variety

Carignan

Fervid oddball

The red Carignan is a heat-loving Mediterranean grape. It has a bit of everything over other varieties: more colour, more tannins, more acid. It is not easy to press a harmonious wine from it alone. Hence it is most often encountered as a blend partner, as in the Côtes du Rhône wines. In Spain it is called Mazuelo and is part of the traditional Rioja recipe. It provides the wines’ acidic backbone. The most exciting varietal specimens come from the slate slopes of the Catalan Priorat (named here Cariñena), from old bush vines in Chile or from Sardinia, where it is known as Carignano. When pressed properly, this oddball generates a lush bouquet of plums and dark fruits. Its origins lie in the northwest Spanish Aragon, near the town of Cariñena. The surrounding wine area is also named after it. In order to prevent confusion with the vine, it is called Samsó there.

Subregion

Priorato

Priorat: Vergessen, wiederentdeckt, gefeiert…

Noch anfangs der 80er Jahre war das Priorat eine durch die Abwanderung geschwächte Problemregion. Dann entdeckten vier junge Winzer den verlassenen Talkessel, der nur eine Autostunde von der katalonischen Mittelmeerküste entfernt liegt, und begannen mit der Restauration der alten Rebanlagen. Heute sind die Priorat-Weine, die meistens von den alteingesessenen Sorten Garnacha und Cariñena geprägt werden, weltweit gefragt. Dank der spektakulären Renaissance der Priorat-Weine erlebt die ganze Region einen Aufschwung.

Region

Catalunya

Catalonia: the great range

Spain’s second largest wine region has an impressive variety to offer. As a result, there are eleven different designations of origin in Catalonia. As the home of cava, Catalonia is one of the leading producers of sparkling wines produced according to classical methods. There is a wide selection of both elegant white wines and well-structured reds. Areas such as Priorat or Montsant have experienced an enormous upswing in recent years. The traditional sweet wine Moscatel de Sitges is also produced here.

Country

Spain

Spain – Variety and perfection

“Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember...,” begins Don Quixote's odyssey.

The most famous part is definitely when Don Quixote thinks windmills are his enemy and wants to fight them – until they nearly kill him. It’s possible there was a bit too much of the La Mancha wine at play. Spanish vines fight for their survival in rugged landscapes, battling fierce drought and rough soils. But they fight well.