Campo de Borja, DO, Spain
Garnacha vines planted in 1939 located in Magallón in Campo de Borja, Spain.
Campo de Borja, DO - Spain
The Campo de Borja wine region, located in Aragón, Eastern Spain is
known as the “Empire of Garnacha”. The cradle of the variety, the
development of Garnacha vines here is closely linked to the establishmentof the Monastery of Veruela by Cistercian monks in 1145.
Approximately 414.5 hectares of Garnacha vines in the region were planted prior to 1988, making them more than thirty-five years old. Losses in the late 1990s and early 2000s were great, as
low-yielding Garnacha bush vines were replaced with other varieties
such as Tempranillo, planted on more easily mechanised trellising system. This was exacerbated by rural depopulation; the majority of growers are
70-80 years old and younger people tend to move to cities to work in
other sectors.
Under the title of “Garnachas Históricas”, the Regulatory Council is
investing in research to promote old vine Garnacha. The first working
group led by Professor Vicente Ferreira at the University of Zaragoza will study how vine age affects ageing capacity and flavour development. The
second is a study into the accurate certification of old vines led by
Professor Luis Gonzaga Santesteban at the University of Navarra.
With both programmes expected to finish in 2025, we look forward to
hearing more about their results in future editions of the Old Vine
Conference.