Carignan

Carignan (Cariñena in Spain) is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to Aragon.  The variety is found in wines along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in northeastern Spain and in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region.  It is used most commonly for blending with many of the region’s other key varieties – most famously Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.

Carignan prefers warm, dry climates when the grape can express high tannins, acid and colour. This makes it an excellent addition to red wine blends that have plenty of aroma and flavour, but lack body and depth of colour.  Carignan is only rarely made as a varietal wine, but the best examples can show characteristics of dark and black fruits, pepper, liquorice, and spicy and savoury accents.

Carignan is usually grown as bush vines, many of which are very old and require hand-harvesting as the vines’ stems are too tough for machines.  It is a late-ripening variety that is known to produce high yields if not properly cropped. This was once considered an attractive attribute of the grape but, as this can make it difficult to achieve good flavour concentration, it also led to it falling out of favour.

In France Carignan was the most-planted grape variety from the 1960s-2000, but huge vine-pull schemes in the 1980s nearly halved the grape’s total acreage by the turn of the century. Around three-quarters of France’s Carignan is located in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

In Spain the best Carinena wines are found in the acclaimed Priorat region. While the grape most likely originated in Aragon, it is not proven that it first appeared around the village of Cariñena, and certainly today it represents only a small percentage of vineyard area within the Cariñena DO. It is nowadays more widely used in Catalonia, where it is often labeled as Samsó. The most famous wines in which Carignan plays a role are those from Rioja, where it is known as Mazuelo, though its use is diminishing here.