The Cariñena Wine Route: A Taste of History

The Cariñena Designation of Origin (DO) is located in the Ebro Valley and includes 14 municipalities. Established in 1932, it is the oldest of the Aragón Designations of Origin and is known for its attractive range of red, white, and rosé wines. The key to Cariñena wines lies in their variety, enhanced by the presence of microclimates. The route features a variety of wine subtypes, including semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet, liquor wines, quality sparkling wines, and late harvest wines. 

The Campo de Cariñena Wine Route offers a journey through various wine-producing towns in Aragón, where visitors can enjoy excellent gastronomy and explore impressive Medieval, Renaissance, and Mudejar architectural and artistic heritage. Located just 35 minutes south of Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon, our winery offers easy access to our wines. Tourists can reach us by private car, bus, or train and embark on an adventure that captivates from the first moment due to the diverse natural landscape. Our winery is situated in a unique location that combines the Algairén mountain range, the banks of the Huerva river and the plain.

The route covers a large wine-growing area with more than 10 wineries, where visitors can explore one of the oldest protected wine designations in Spain. The region’s most notable grape varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tinta, Chardonnay, and Garnacha Blanca, with Roman crops dating back to the third century BC. The intensity of flavor, strong color, and distinctive aroma result from the high concentration of sugar and the large size of the grapes, which grow in a unique terrain filled with millennia-old stones that characterize and give the route its name.  

To ensure you don’t miss any of the tastings, take the ‘Wine Route of the Stones’ tourist bus from Zaragoza. It offers several day trips, since it takes about three days to visit all the wineries. The tour begins at the Santa Catalina Convent site, where visitors can take a leisurely walk through the vineyards. The next stop is the San Valero Winery where guests can enjoy an introductory wine tasting featuring internationally awarded rosé, white, and red wines. At noon, guests can savor typical Aragonese meats paired with Cariñena wines, such as lamb and oxtail, to conclude an exceptional day. The tour ends with a stroll through the railway interpretation center. 

Other Wineries Worth Visiting

• Solar de Urbezo: Offers a wine tasting of three red Garnacha wines, a Chardonnay, and a Macabeo paired with a typical Aragonese lunch at the Monastery of the Virgin of Lagunas.
• Care: With three historic wineries producing the best reds and rosés using Garnacha, Syrah, and Tempranillo grapes, as well as white Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, and Muscatel of Alexandria.
• Hacienda Molleda Winery: A family-owned winery specializing in young, oak-aged and reserve red, white and rosé wines made from Garnacha, Cariñena, Tempranillo and Macabeo grapes.
• Ignacio Marín Winery: A pioneer in the region, offering a wide variety of wines made from Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Macabeo grapes.
• Gabarda Winery: Known for its quality Garnacha wines of different ages.
• Tierra de Cubas: A winery dedicated to the production of cavas and signature wines.
• Paniza Winery: Presents young and aged wines made from Garnacha, Syrah and Cariñena grapes.
  
• Grandes Vinos: Offers tours of their old, renovated winery where visitors can taste over ten varieties of wine from their facilities and vineyards.
• Dominio de Longaz:  Internationally recognized for their unique and fruity wines, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Garnacha.
• Heredad Ansón: Afamily winery, that offers Garnacha, Merlot-Syrah reds, rosés, and Macabeo whites.
• San Valero Winery: Produces white Garnacha, rosé, moscatel and chardonnay wines.
• Bodem Winery: Cultivates vegan wines using zero environmental impact techniques. 

The best time to visit Campo de Cariñena is from May to October. However, in late September, the region hosts its most important celebration: the Grape Harvest Festival. Locals uphold the tradition each year of making wine flow from the Fountain of the Moor in Cariñena during the Act of Wine Exaltation. This is a unique experience for any wine-loving tourist wishing to share in local customs and taste the cuisine. 

The typical meals in Cariñena have a long history, originating from the legacy of Fray Juan Altamiras, a visionary of Spanish cuisine who left his recipes in the 18th century. Restaurants along the wine route offer historic dishes such as Pirineo rice, Alcañiz stew, garlic cod, lamb shank, and grape crumbs, all perfectly paired with the best wine to make the visit to Cariñena a unique, culinary, historical, and festive vacation experience.