GARNACHA TINTA AND CARIÑENA
Some varieties seem destined to find, understand and complement each other. In certain geographic and climatic contexts, they can produce blends that help build a unique identity which transcends the wine itself.
Celebrated pairings and blends like Bordeaux, Champagne or Cava, to give just three examples, become known reference points where wine culture and the image the region presents to the world come together.
Strictly speaking, the Garnacha/Cariñena blend is not exclusive to Priorat, but these varieties are the undeniable heart and soul of most of the wines that have brought the appellation international acclaim over the past twenty years. It should be noted, however, that blends increasingly include international varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, albeit in very small percentages.
Furthermore, this exceptional region (Priorat – Montsant – Siurana) has a unique landscape that goes beyond its majestic nature, shaped over time by winegrowing and wine culture, and now a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Garnacha & Cariñena: a beautiful relationship
The Priorat’s finest Garnacha and Cariñena vines grow on steep terraces carved into craggy hillsides between 500 and 700 meters high. These conditions favor low yields and wines of exquisite quality.
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Terraced Garnacha Tinta and Cariñena vineyards, in El Lloar (Priorat).
The “new” paradigmatic Priorats display an incredible depth of color, highly concentrated tannins, and somewhat less alcohol than their 20th century counterparts. The wines stand out for their concentrated aromas, full of distinctive fresh black fruit, and barrel aging in consistently elegant new French oak.
Garnacha Tinta
Garnacha makes no secret of its Mediterranean roots, what with its need for warm climate conditions to reach full, optimal ripeness. The variety is also very drought resistant.
Indigenous to Spain, Garnacha is Navarra’s flagship grape and highly prized in Rioja Baja. Furthermore, in combination with Cariñena, Garnacha drove the transformation and international rise of Priorat wines.
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Garnacha Tinta variety
Classic Garnacha flavors recall red fruit (primarily strawberry and raspberry) and reveal an inherent spiciness that turns into reductive aromas of leather and toffee as the wine matures.
Aroma, elegance and freshness are the variety’s biggest contribution to the coupage.
Cariñena
Like its partner in coupage, this indigenous variety does best under climatic and geological conditions that limit its productivity. This is when it reveals its finest qualities:
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Cariñena grapes
What jumps out immediately is the wine’s fleshy mouthfeel and generous natural alcohol content. This warm, velvety sensation brings with it an astonishing level of aromatic intensity and an endless finish.
The coupage benefits from the variety’s structure, muscle, texture and aging potential.
We can find parallels between the world of wine and human experience. Varieties, like people, reveal the very best of themselves in certain relationships. Endowed with strong, well-defined personalities, they don’t need company, but they embrace, understand and complement each other. They form a single entity brought together by the magic of mountainous terrain, climate and human expertise.
