Garnacha took center stage, but there was also room for gewürztraminer and syrah, barrel-aged white wines and reds from different parts of Aragón. The fifth Aragón Land Wines Showcase brought together six wineries and nearly 30 labels in Zaragoza for a day aimed at distributors, hospitality professionals and specialty retailers.
The event was held at Hotel Zentro and featured two tastings led by sommelier Ismael Ardid. Attendees also had the opportunity to explore garnacha’s aromas and sample Jamón de Teruel PDO and Bajo Aragón Olive Oil. The organizing association launched the showcase in 2022 to bring its member wineries’ wines closer to those involved in their distribution and marketing.
Six wines to explore Aragón
Amprius Vinos, Bodegas Tempore, Bodegas Pedra Volta, Finca Valonga, Bodegas Ejeanas and Edra Bodega took part in this edition. Of the nearly 30 labels they brought to the showcase, six were featured in the tastings led by Ardid.
The tour began in Matarraña with Amprius Gewürztraminer, made by Amprius Vinos from organic grapes under the Bajo Aragón PGI. Also within this designation, Bodegas Tempore presented Generación 50 from Lécera, an organic white garnacha, while Bodegas Pedra Volta brought Pedra Seca from Nonaspe, another white garnacha, this time barrel-aged.
From Belver de Cinca came Entre Higueras, Finca Valonga’s red garnacha, protected by the Valle del Cinca PGI. Edra Bodega presented Xtra Syrah, an organic syrah made in Ayerbe, while Bodegas Ejeanas completed the selection with UN Garnacha Roble, a red wine from Ejea de los Caballeros under the Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas PGI.
Smell before tasting was another of the day’s offerings. A table with 18 black glasses enabled attendees to identify aromas associated with garnacha, including red fruit, spices and dark chocolate. The experience was rounded out with Jamón de Teruel PDO, sliced by gastronomic consultant Antonio Palacio, and two oils provided by the Bajo Aragón Olive Oil Designation of Origin.
An association spread across the region
The showcase brought together in one room part of a far more dispersed wine-growing area. The Aragón Land Wines Association was founded in 2002 to raise the profile of small wineries in areas traditionally linked to vine growing. It now has 11 member wineries, spread across five protected geographical indications: Bajo Aragón, Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas, Ribera del Jiloca, Valdejalón and Valle del Cinca. Together, these areas encompass 192 municipalities in Aragón.
Bodegas Tempore, Lagar de Amprius, Pedra Volta and Vinos Taberner Amado are located in Bajo Aragón. The Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas PGI includes Bodegas Ejeanas, Bodegas Edra, Cooperativa Virgen de la Corona —Aixena— and Bodegas Pegalaz. Completing the association are Daroca Bodega, in Ribera del Jiloca; Bodegas Valonga, in Valle del Cinca; and Vinos López, in Valdejalón.
The fifth showcase allowed professionals to taste part of that diversity without leaving Zaragoza. Behind every glass was a winery and a place of origin: from Matarraña to Cinco Villas, via Lécera, Nonaspe, Valle del Cinca and Ayerbe.
