Calatayud

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The climate of the zone is extreme continental, with long, cold winters, hot summers, and very scarce rainfall, which, together with the soils, gives the wines their distinctive character.
• The vineyards are situated at altitude, which allows them to withstand the intense daytime heat of summer while recovering their freshness during the cooler night hours, enabling the synthesis of sugars the following day.
• The geographical zone is framed by the mountain formations of the Moncayo massif and is organised around a river network of tributaries of the Ebro: the Jalón, Jiloca, Perejiles, Manubles, Mesa, Piedra, and Ribota. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• North-facing vineyards are cultivated on fertile, calcareous, and clay soils, yielding grapes with higher yields and lower alcohol potential.

• The link between these wines and their geographical zone dates to the second century BC, with their outstanding quality described across the centuries.
• The declaration establishing the DO Calatayud dates to 1989, although it was not formally published until the following year, and so is officially dated to 1990. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Quality sparkling wine is produced by the traditional method, from grapes of lower alcohol potential and, owing to the earlier harvest, with a lower sugar content.
• Late-harvest wine requires delaying the harvest period, extending the ripening phase and the grapes' exposure to the sun.

• Liqueur wine develops intense aromas with floral and honeyed tones from highly ripened grapes grown in high-altitude vineyards with low yields per vine.

• Cultivation on clay soils in the lower-lying areas of the PDO Calatayud produces wines with notes of ripe fruit that are silky, fat, and unctuous.
• Mild temperatures at harvest time, combined with the altitude of the vineyard, allow the production of fresh grapes with lower sugar content and good acidity for lightly sparkling wine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• National pliego de condiciones (PDF) — +9 varieties added
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-A0247
• Official trade body site — D.O.P. Calatayud