GRAPE: Garnacha
APELLATION: Calatayud DO.
VINIFICATION: Hand harvested of garnacha grape from 70-100 years old vines at a hight altitude of 800-1.000 meters. The grapes were destemmed and fermented in cement tanks. Malolactic fermentation was also completed in cement. Following fermentation the wine was aged for 8 months in a combination of 50% used French oak barrels and 50% used American oak barrels
TASTING NOTES: Dark ruby colour with shades of purple. At the nose there is a rich aroma of ripe berries with hints of floral tones typical of the Garnacha, a unique variety. In the mouth, it is a full bodied rich wine with a taste of blackberries, strawberries and hints of leather, vanilla and plums. It is perfectly combined with a sweet and pleasant tannin that leads to a long, balanced and smooth finish.
FOOD PAIRING: Barbecued chicken, pork and beef, Beef tartare, Cajun chicken fajitas,cannelloni, Farfalle with sausage, Manchego Cheese.
PRODUCER: Eva Lopez was sourcing for the perfect place to elaborate her own Garnacha wine. She met Manuel Castro Gracia, Virgen de la Sierra winery winemaker; whose family had tended garnacha vineyards in the area for generations.
Bodegas Virgen de la Sierra is based at Villarroya de la Sierra, founded on 1954 is the oldest winery at DO Calatayud.
Calatayud area is well recognize for high altitudes (2,600 to nearly 3,000 feet), extreme weather conditions and a multiplicity of soils—up to 20 different ¬terroirs—contribute to the freshness of the wines from this region.
Garnacha, one of the most popular and widespread grapes in the world, was most probably born somewhere in Aragón (Calatayud area)
Calatayud is nowadays a small appellation with 3,500 hectares under vine. Only 16 wineries currently operate in the appellation. There are two separate vineyard areas, in the north where the soils are rich in chalk, and the south where the vineyards are planted on slate at higher altitude, were OGV wine is produce.