Aragonia (English), L'Aragon (French), Aragona (Italian), Aragón (Spanish), Aragão (Portuguese).
The autonomous region (Spanish: Aragón, Cat. Aragó) with the capital Zaragoza is located in the northeast of Spain and covers 47,717 km². The north is dominated by the Pyrenees, whose main ridge forms the northern border with France along its entire length. It borders Catalonia to the east, Valenciana to the southeast and Castile-La Mancha, Castile-León, Rioja and Navarre to the west. The region is divided into the three provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel.
History
Wine growing was already practised here by the Romans. In the 11th century, after the Moors had been pushed southwards, an independent kingdom emerged, which in the meantime included the Balearic Islands, Navarre and Sicily, and from the 12th century also Catalonia. It existed until the end of the 15th century and was then incorporated with other territories into the Spanish Empire. Viticulture has been practised here since the 2nd century BC.
Climate & Soils
The region is crossed by numerous rivers. The middle course of the Ebro runs through the plain of central Aragon, and most of the region belongs to its catchment area. Other rivers are Aragón (which gave its name to the area), Gállego, Jalón and Segre (Ebro tributaries), Cinca (Segre tributary) and Mijares. The Mediterranean-continental climate is characterised by hot and dry summers and very cold winters, especially at high altitudes. The soils are consistently calcareous. Around Calatayud there is slate rock, in Campo de Borja not only limestone but also clay, in Somontano a dark sandy soil and in the river valleys alluvial soil.
Vineyard area & grape varieties
The vineyards cover around 34,000 hectares. The most important white wine varieties are Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Moscatel (Muscat Blanc). The most important red wine varieties are Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Mazuelo, Parraleta, Moristel and Monastrell.
Wine-growing areas
There are five DO areas and one Vino de Pago area (quality wines), as well as six IGP areas (country wines). Cava may also be produced in the region.
