Navarra

The specification places the start of Navarra wine in Antiquity: finds at Funes, Arellano, Liédena, Falces, Cascante and Cintruénigo show Romans making wine on an industrial scale from the first to the fifth century. In the Middle Ages the court, the monasteries, above all Irache, and the hostels of the Way of Saint James drove wine growing. Theobald I (1234-53), King of Navarre and Count of Champagne, is credited with bringing Burgundian grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Wine was red and "vermeyllo" or clarete, a forerunner of the region's rosés.

Oidium and phylloxera in France raised demand in the mid-nineteenth century. Then downy mildew struck in 1885 and phylloxera was officially recorded in 1892. Replanting took the first twenty years of the twentieth century, largely with Garnacha; the 1912 viticulture congress in Pamplona noted that more than 80 varieties had been lost. Navarra was recognised by the wine law of 26 May 1933, and its council was constituted in 1958.

The designation spreads across a little over 100 km from the Pyrenean foothills to the Ebro. Its soils, typical of the Mediterranean side of the Ebro and its tributaries, are basic, calcareous (always more than 35% carbonates), permeable, loam to clay-loam, of medium to high stoniness and low in nutrients, with pH 7.5-8.5. Vineyards lie at about 300-550 m. The climate is Mediterranean with Atlantic influence in the north, 350-800 mm of rain, 2,100-2,700 hours of sun and the persistent, drying cierzo wind, which limits pests.

Baja Montaña, in the north, is the most Pyrenean zone, with 470-760 mm of rain. Valdizarbe, on marls with sandstone, is the wettest (540-800 mm). Tierra Estella has the highest vineyards, sheltered by the Urbasa and Andía ranges. Ribera Alta is warmer and drier (350-500 mm). Ribera Baja, mostly south of the Ebro on Quaternary terraces, is the most arid, with a water deficit above 300 mm.

The specification names two traits common to all Navarra wines. Higher acidity, from the region's northern position in the peninsula, gives freshness and balance. A certain mineral character comes from soils high in lime, of medium stoniness and clay-loam texture. It then sets out the zones. Baja Montaña gives intense, fruity rosés and medium-bodied reds. Valdizarbe gives aromatic whites and rosés and reds suited to barrel ageing. Tierra Estella gives aromatic, mineral wines with high acidity. Ribera Alta, warmer and earlier, gives fuller wines that take well to oak. Ribera Baja gives the most alcohol and body and less acidity; it is the home of the traditional liqueur wines, with raisin aromas and a balance of sweetness and acidity.

Red grapes are Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Garnacha Roja (Garnacha Gris). White grapes are Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Viura, Malvasía, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Sauvignon Blanc and Oneca. Rosados are made by bleeding (sangrado) or pressing, with at least 85% red grapes and at most 40 litres of free-run must per 100 kg. Reds may include up to 15% rosé of the previous vintage. Liqueur wines come only from Moscatel de Grano Menudo or Garnacha.

"Tinto roble" means more than 90 days in oak casks of up to 330 litres. Crianza reds need 24 months with at least 9 in oak, Reserva 36 months with 12 in oak and Gran Reserva 60 months with 18 in oak. Aged Moscatel may be labelled "envejecido en roble" after 24 months, 18 in oak. Maximum yields are 8,000 kg/ha for red grapes and 9,200 kg/ha for white.