Campo De Borja (DO)
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Campo de Borja is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the
Campo de Borja Campo de Borja is a ''comarca'' (district) in Aragon, Spain. It is located in the province of Zaragoza, in a transition area between the Iberian System of mountain ranges and the Ebro Valley. Its capital is Borja. It is a wine-producing comar ...
comarca, northwest of the province of
Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
(
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
). It is a transition zone between the plains of the River
Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...
and the mountains of the Sistema Ibérico. The DOP comprises 16 municipalities. These are Ainzón, Agón, Albeta, Ambel, Bisimbre, Borja, Bulbuente, Bureta, Fréscano, Fuendejalón, Magallón, Maleján, Mallén, Pozuelo de Aragón, Tabuenca and Vera de Moncayo. The Moncayo mountain is the dominant feature of the DOP and creates a
microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...
which gives the wines a special character.


History

It is assumed that the
ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...
introduced and developed grape-growing in this region, but the first written reference is a document in the archives of the
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
Monastery of Veruela which refers to donations of vineyards in the year 1203. During the centuries of Arab domination of the Iberian Peninsula, grape and wine production decreased and only increased again after the reconquest by Christian forces. During the course of the 15th century the successive abbots of the Veruela Monastery acquired vast quantities of land and placed it under vines. According to the monastery’s records, in 1453 they even bought an entire town ( Ainzón) with all its fields, pastures, watercourses and vineyards. This monastery was very influential in the development of wine production right up to the 19th century, and was responsible for the replanting and grafting of the entire area after the phylloxera plague. The area was finally recognised as a Denominación de Origin in 1980 when the statutes were approved.


Climate

The climate is
continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
, with
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
influences during the winter, notably a cold, dry wind from the northwest. In summer, there is a Mediterranean influence. The temperature varies a great deal, both on a daily and on a seasonal basis. Annual rainfall is very low, only about 350 mm in the low-lying areas and 450 mm in higher areas. The vineyards are planted on a series of high plateaus at heights ranging between 350 m and 750 m above sea level.


Soils

The soils are mainly dark lime-bearing soils, of average rockiness, good drainage, average level of organic matter and rich in nutrients. Closer to the Moncayo the clay and iron content increases, as does the general rockiness.


Vineyards

There are currently about 6,300 ha under vines which produce between 20 and 25 million kg of grapes. The vines are cultivated both as low bushes (''en vaso'') and also on trellises (''en espaldera'').


Authorised Grape varieties

The authorised grape varieties are: * Red: Garnacha, Tempranillo, Mazuela,
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
,
Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...
,
Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...
* White: Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca,
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...
, Moscatel de Alejandría, Sauvignon Blanc, and Verdejo


Wines

* Whites: made with 100% Macabeo grapes. Min 11% * Rosés: made with Garnacha grapes. Min 11% * Young Reds: Made both as 100% Garnacha and also in combination with Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Min 12% * ''Crianzas'': must be aged for at least 24 months. Min 12.5% * ''Reservas'': must be aged for at least 12 months in oak casks plus 24 months in the bottle. Min 12.5% * ''Gran Reservas'': must be aged for at least 24 months in oak casks plus 36 months in the bottle. Min 12.5% * Others: '' Mistelas'', dessert wines form Moscatel and sparkling wine is also produced. Min 15%


References


External links


DOP Campo de Borja official website
* Wine regions of Spain Appellations Wine classification Geography of the Province of Zaragoza Aragonese cuisine {{coord, 41, 49, N, 1, 32, W, source:cawiki_region:ES, display=title