Somontano is a Spanish
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines, created in 1984, and located in the
county of the same name, in the province of
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
,
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 borders the regions of
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is a comarca of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the north of Huesca province, making up part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''.
Sobrarbe is a mountainous ...
and
Ribagorza in the north,
Hoya de Huesca in the west, the
Monegros
Los Monegros is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located within the provinces of Zaragoza and Huesca. The area is prone to chronic droughts, and much of the area is a natural region made up of badlands.
Los Monegros borders seven comarcas: H ...
in the south, and
La Litera in the east. Wine production is centred on the town of
Barbastro. The name ''Somontano'' derives from Latin roots meaning “''beneath the mountain''”. The area spreads out from the foothills of the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
down to the
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 ...
valley. The DOP includes 43 municipalities, most of them in the Somontano area, and a few bordering on Ribagorza and the Monegros. There are over 4000
hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
of vines and about 500 individual grape-growers.
Geography
The DOP has three different sub-zones: the Mountains, the Somontano foothills proper, and the Plains. The
Alcanadre river divides the Somontano area in two: Somontano de Huesca in the West and Somontano de Barbastro in the East. The vines here enjoy a dark sandy-clay soil, particularly high in lime content and rich in alluvial matter. The soil is not especially fertile, but has good drainage, which facilitates the deep penetration of roots so they can absorb more moisture and nutrients. The region's 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 the Pyrenees mountains buffering exposure to the cold northern winds. Nonetheless, winter freezes are common, as are extremely high temperatures in the summer. Daily temperatures also fluctuate significantly between day and night. Average rainfall is 500 mm.
History
Grapes have been grown in the Somontano region since antiquity, at least since the 2nd century BC, their cultivation being influenced by the settlement of the
Romans, as they introduced more advanced techniques. In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, the area covered by vineyards expanded to cover the whole province, with wine production prospering under the oversight of local monasteries. More recently, the
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...
plague which struck France in the 19th century, resulted in exports and increased sales of Somontano wine from the region.
Tourism
The ''Ruta del Vino'' (Wine Route) of Somontano is one of the 13 official wine routes recognised by ACEVIN and the Spanish government, and its aim is to promote wine-related tourism to the region. As a non-profit organisation it offers promotional support to tourism establishments and wineries and offers unbiased information to visitors and tourists.
In addition to wine, other attractions in Somontano include:
:The Sierra de Guara National Park - famous for the sport of canyoning
:The medieval village of
Alquézar
:The River Vero Cultural Park - home to a collection of over 60 cave paintings, jointly declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
:The
Torreciudad Shrine - halfway point between Lourdes and the
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza on the Marian Route
:The city of
Barbastro
Around half of the 31 wineries in Somontano welcome visitors and most can offer guided tours in Spanish, English and French. A visit includes a tour of the installations with explanations, followed by a wine tasting.
Authorised Grape Varieties
The authorised grape varieties are:
* Red:
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 ...
,
Garnacha Tinta,
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 ...
,
Moristel,
Parraleta
Parraleta is a red Spanish wine grape variety which might also be known under various other names, such as Tinta Caiada (Alentejo, Alentejo, Portugal) in several Mediterranean Countries, Mediterranean countries. Parraleta is chosen as a prime nam ...
,
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...
,
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 ...
, and
Tempranillo
* White:
Alcañón,
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 ...
,
Garnacha Blanc,
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer () is an aromatic wine grape variety, used in white wines, and which performs best in cooler climates. In English, it is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz ( ; although this is never the case in German, because mean ...
,
Macabeo,
Riesling
Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...
, and
Sauvignon Blanc
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Wine regions of Spain
Appellations
Wine classification
Geography of the Province of Huesca
Aragonese cuisine