Aragón reds: Panel tasting results

Beth Willard, Valentin Radosav and David Williams tasted 77 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 24 Highly Recommended.

Aragón reds: Panel tasting scores

77 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 24

Recommended 47

Commended 4

Fair 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still red wines from DOs Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Somontano; or IGP regions Bajo Aragón, Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas, Ribera del Jiloca, Ribera del Queiles, Valle del Cinca and Valdejalón; Vino de Pago Ay

From wild and rugged Aragón, this tasting of red wines took us on a journey from the most northerly DO vineyards of Somontano in the foothills of the Pyrenees to the high-elevation (up to 1,000m) vines of Calatayud and further south, to the vast, sparsely populated expanses towards Teruel.

We passed through the vineyards close to Moncayo in Campo de Borja and tasted some great-value wines from Cariñena (the DO region). It was a tasting that naturally focused on Garnacha, the main protagonist of the whole region, but featured some interesting blends of Cariñena (the grape), Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and even Merlot.

Scroll down to see the top results from the Aragón reds panel tasting

But let’s start with Garnacha, the native grape of Aragón. Seven of the nine highest-scoring wines (92pts and above) here are made from the grape variety, from six different denominations but offering clear varietal typicity. David Williams was pleasantly surprised with the regional consistency of the Garnacha-based wines, feeling that producers ‘should go back to using Garnacha as much as possible’.

The panel found the wines featuring 100% Garnacha most compelling, with beautiful definition and fresh acidity; they lack nothing in fruit concentration while offering a certain elegance and precision.

Value was a key point of discussion among the judges, who felt that the Aragón region is producing highly enjoyable wines at accessible prices. The Garnacha-led wines in this report also offer great value.

As well as the three wines priced below £15 that scored 90 points or more, a further 22 wines that either are or would be (if available) priced under the £15 mark in the UK received very respectable scores of 86-89pts (Recommended).

Many other varieties were on show, from the local Aragonese grapes Derechero and Miguel de Arco to international varieties. ‘I loved some of the Cabernets, which offered very good varietal character,’ said Valentin Radosav.

Williams also liked the Cabernet-based wines but not so much the Merlot-led blends – he expressed his disappointment that more wines with Cariñena weren’t submitted to the tasting.

See all the wines from the Aragón reds panel tasting

Winemaking plaudits

Some of the wines featured quite high levels of alcohol (15%), which the panel didn’t necessarily consider a problem – most showed great balance and carried the alcohol well – but a few wines were quite hot and heady.

It was felt that the higher alcohols particularly affected the Cabernet-led blends, resulting in jammy fruit that grew tiring on the palate.

In general, the winemaking was applauded, with many producers turning to larger oak barrels, as well as concrete or clay amphorae. Radosav preferred the wines that showed off their purity of fruit: ‘I noted that the type of vessel used for fermentation and ageing was more often than not concrete or something other than oak.’

Williams concurred, adding that he often prefers wines with concrete or clay influence. ‘It’s not just that I have a stylistic preference, but this type of winemaking just seems to work.’

‘Even if the wines had a strong personality, I still found them very interesting with many varied elements,’ said Radosav. The tasting revealed the characterful red wines of Aragón, intense but with a certain finesse – more than the panel had encountered in the past.

Aragón reds panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Beth Willard writes about and promotes Spanish wines in a number of markets globally, having formerly worked for many years in senior wine buying roles in the UK. She is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino and is one of the five Co-Chairs of the DWWA

Valentin Radosav is learning and development manager for 5-star hotels in London. A qualified Advanced Sommelier and a DWWA judge, he was formerly head sommelier at Michelin-starred Gymkhana restaurant in Mayfair, having also previously worked at other top venues in the UK and Dubai

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge

Related articles

• Spanish rosado & clarete: Panel tasting results
• Hidden Spain: Tiny wine regions
• Amarone for Christmas: 30 great bottles to try