Somontano

Somontano DOP

Wine region
Somontano DOP in the province of Huesca in the region of Aragon
Official name	D.O.P Somontano[1]
Type	Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Year established	1984
Country	Spain
No. of vineyards	3,931 hectares (9,714 acres)
No. of wineries	31[2]
Wine produced	184,449 hectolitres
Comments	Data for 2016 / 2017

Somontano is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines, created in 1984, and located in the county of the same name, in the province of Huesca, (Aragon, Spain). It borders the regions of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in the North, Hoya de Huesca in the West, the Monegros in the South, and the region of Litera in the East. Wine production is centred on the town of Barbastro. The name Somontano, as its Latin roots suggest, means “beneath the mountain” – this perfectly defines this geographic area which spreads out from the foothills of the Pyrenees down to the Ebro valley. The DOP includes 43 municipalities, most of them in the Somontano area, and a few bordering on Ribagorza and the Monegros. There are over 4000 hectares of vines and about 500 individual grape-growers.

Geography

The DOP has three different sub-zones: the Mountains, the Somontano foothills proper, and the Plains. The Alcanadre river divides the Somontano area into two: Somontano de Huesca in the West and Somontano de Barbastro in the East. The vines here enjoy a dark sandy-clay soil, particularly high in lime content and rich in alluvial matter. The soil is not especially fertile, but has good drainage which facilitates the deep penetration of roots so they can absorb more moisture and nutrients. The region's climate is continental, with the Pyrenees mountains buffering exposure to the cold northern winds. Nonetheless, winter freezes are common, as are extremely high temperatures in the summer. On a daily basis, temperatures also fluctuate significantly between day and night. Average rainfall is 500 mm.

History

Grapes have been grown in the Somontano region since antiquity, at least since the 2nd century BC, their cultivation being influenced by the settlement of the Romans, as they introduced more advanced techniques. In the Middle Ages, the area covered by vineyards expanded to cover the whole province, with wine production prospering under the oversight of local monasteries. More recently, the phylloxera plague which struck France in the 19th century, resulted in exports and increased sales of Somontano wine from the region.

Tourism

The Ruta del Vino (Wine Route) of Somontano is one of the 13 official wine routes recognised by ACEVIN and the Spanish government, and its aim is to promote wine-related tourism to the region. As a non-profit organisation it offers promotional support to tourism establishments and wineries and offers unbiased information to visitors and tourists.

In addition to wine, other attractions in Somontano include:

The Sierra de Guara National Park - famous for the sport of canyoning

The medieval village of Alquézar

The River Vero Cultural Park - home to a collection of over 60 cave paintings, jointly declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO

The Torreciudad Shrine - half way point between Lourdes and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza on the Marian Route

The city of Barbastro

Around half of the 31 wineries in Somontano welcome visitors and most can offer guided tours in Spanish, English and French. A visit includes a tour of the installations with explanations followed by a wine tasting.

Authorised Grape Varieties

The authorised grape varieties are:

• Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tinta, Merlot, Moristel, Parraleta, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Tempranillo
• White: Alcañón, Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Macabeo, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc

References

External links

• Official website

• v
• t
• e

Spanish wine regions

PDO: Protected Denominations of Origin
Major regions Cava Navarra Priorat Rías Baixas Ribera del Duero Rioja Rueda Jerez-Xeres-Sherry
Denominación  de origen  calificada (DOCa)	Basque Country Rioja [1] Catalonia Priorat La Rioja Rioja [1] Navarre Rioja [1]
Denominación  de origen (DO)	Andalusia Condado de Huelva Granada Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Málaga Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda Montilla-Moriles Sierras de Málaga Aragon Calatayud Campo de Borja Cariñena Somontano Cava [1] Balearic Islands Binissalem Pla i Llevant Basque Country Txakoli de Álava Txakoli de Bizkaia Txakoli de Getaria Cava [1] Canary Islands Abona El Hierro Gran Canaria La Gomera La Palma Lanzarote Tacoronte-Acentejo Valle de Güímar Valle de la Orotava Ycoden-Daute-Isora Castile and León Arlanza Arribes Bierzo Cigales Ribera del Duero Rueda Tierra de León Tierra del Vino de Zamora Toro Cava [1] Castile–La Mancha Almansa Jumilla [1] La Mancha Manchuela Méntrida Mondéjar Ribera del Júcar Uclés Valdepeñas Catalonia Alella Catalunya Conca de Barberà Costers del Segre Empordà Montsant Penedès Pla de Bages Tarragona Terra Alta Cava [1] Extremadura Ribera del Guadiana Cava [1] Galicia Monterrei Rías Baixas Ribeira Sacra Ribeiro Valdeorras La Rioja Cava [1] Madrid Vinos de Madrid Murcia Bullas Jumilla [1] Yecla Navarre Navarra Cava [1] Valencia Alicante Utiel-Requena Valencia Cava [1]
Vino de Pago	Aragon Pago Aylés Castile–La Mancha Campo de La Guardia Casa del Blanco Dehesa del Carrizal Dominio de Valdepusa El Vicario Finca Élez Guijoso La Jaraba Los Cerrillos Pago Calzadilla Pago Florentino Vallegarcía Navarre Arínzano Otazu Prado de Irache Valencia El Terrerazo Pago de Los Balagueses Vera de Estenas
Vino de calidad	Andalusia Lebrija Asturias Cangas Canary Islands Islas Canarias Castile and León Sierra de Salamanca Valles de Benavente Valtiendas

PGI: Protected Geographical Indications
Vino de la tierra	Andalusia Altiplano de Sierra Nevada Bailén Cádiz Córdoba Cumbres del Guadalfeo Desierto de Almería Laderas del Genil Laujar-Alpujarra Los Palacios Norte de Almería Ribera del Andarax Sierra Norte de Sevilla Sierra Sur de Jaén Sierras de las Estancias y los Filabres Torreperogil Villaviciosa de Córdoba Aragon Bajo Aragón Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas Ribera del Jiloca Ribera del Queiles [1] Valdejalón Valle del Cinca Balearic Islands Formentera Ibiza Illes Balears Isla de Menorca Mallorca Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord Cantabria Costa de Cantabria Liébana Castile and León Castile and León Castile–La Mancha Castilla Extremadura Extremadura Galicia Barbanza e Iria Betanzos Ribeiras do Morrazo Val do Miño-Ourense La Rioja Valles de Sadacia Murcia Abanilla Murcia Campo de Cartagena Navarre Ribera del Queiles [1] 3 Riberas Valencia Castelló
[1] Multi-regional wine regions: Cava · Jumilla · Ribera del Queiles · Rioja See also Spanish wine Catalan wine Galician wine Txakoli Malaga

42°2′10″N 0°7′35″E / 42.03611°N 0.12639°E / 42.03611; 0.12639