D.O. Granada

The DO area for red, rosé, white and sparkling wines in the Spanish region of Andalusia covers almost the entire province of Granada with 168 municipalities. It was classified as VCIG in 2009, which is a special intermediate stage between country wine and quality wine that is only valid in Spain, but is considered a quality wine according to EU law. Then in 2015, Granada was up-classified as a DO area. It overlaps with the three areas Laderas del Genil (until 2009 Granada Sur-Oeste), Altiplano de Sierra Nevada (until 2009 Norte de Granada) and Cumbres del Guadalfeo (until 2009 Contraviesa-Alpujarra). The Cumbres del Guadalfeo part is now a sub-region in the Granada DO area called Contraviesa-Alpujarra. However, the three renamed land wine areas still exist, so wines that do not meet the high requirements for DO Granada can be marketed under the three less strict land wine regulations.

The wine-growing areas in the province cover a total of 5,500 hectares of vineyards on porous, heavily slate and mineral soils at very high altitudes ranging from 1,000 to (location of the Barranco Oscuro winery) 1,368 metres above sea level, resulting in wines with a high acidity. Of this, the DO area occupies only a small part with 260 hectares. 75% of the red wines are made from Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Monastrell, Romé and Petit Verdot. For white wines, Vijariego, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Moscatel de Alejandría (Muscat d'Alexandrie), Moscatel de Grano Menudo (Muscat Blanc), Pedro Ximénez, Palomino, Baladi Verdejo and Torrontés are permitted.

Source: WIKIPEDIA Granada