D.O. Somontano

The DO area is located in the province of Huesca in the autonomous Spanish region of Aragon. The name Somontano literally means "under the mountains" and indicates that the area is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the French border. The climate is almost ideal for wine growing, with cold winters and hot summers, relatively abundant rainfall, plenty of sun during the day and cool nights. This was already recognized by the monasteries in the Middle Ages, which founded viticulture here. With around 100,000 hectares of vineyards, a peak was reached towards the end of the 19th century. A good part of the wines was exported to South America. The Lalanne family from Bordeaux was appointed purveyor to the court of Alfonso XIII (1886-1941). However, the phylloxera put an end to this and there was a great decline in viticulture

After a long standstill, a revival took place at the beginning of the 1980s. Today the vineyards cover some 4,300 hectares of vines on mainly dark lime soils with good water permeability mainly around the town of Barbastro in a total of 43 municipalities. The red wine varieties Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Moristel, Parraleta, Pinot Noir and Syrah are cultivated, as well as the white wine varieties Viura(Macabeo), Garnacha Blanca, Alcañón, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. From these, the traditional Jovenes (young wines) in red, white and rosé are produced, mainly from the native varieties, and storable wines from blends of native and French varieties. Well known producers are Blecua, Dalcamp, Fábregas, Guelbenzu, Lalanne, Otto Bestue, Pirineos, Viñas del Vero.