Somontano

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Alcanadre river divides the comarca into two parts: the Somontano de Huesca to the west and the Somontano de Barbastro to the east, the latter featuring more mountains, hills, and ridges.
• The production zone lies at elevations ranging from 350 to 1,000 metres above sea level.
• Along the northern boundary lie the sierras of Guara, Balcés, and Salinas, formed from predominantly calcareous materials of Cretaceous and Eocene age that have been thrust southward as imbricate nappes.
• The most common soils are calcisols, characterised by calcium carbonate accumulation at depth and a basic pH, on which the majority of traditional vineyards are cultivated, and gypsisols, developed over gypsiferous marls to the southwest of Barbastro.
• Mean annual rainfall decreases gradually with altitude, ranging from 800 mm/year in the mountain zone to 400 mm/year in the arid Monegros zone to the south, with an overall annual average of around 500 mm.
• There is a marked diurnal temperature range during August and September, and the difference between daytime and night-time temperatures is also very pronounced according to local accounts.

• The founding of the Cooperativa Comarcal Somontano del Sobrarbe in the 1960s brought together the majority of grape growers and marked the first steps towards the Denominación de Origen, which was approved in 1984.
• The settlement of Italic peoples in the Somontano introduced advanced viticulture and winemaking techniques and contributed to the establishment of trading companies, and it was the Romans who consolidated vine cultivation in the area.

• The wines are characterised by notable alcoholic strength, a good balance of acidity, and medium-high depth of colour as the principal features derived from the production zone.
• The sensory profile is distinguished by its fruity aromatic character, medium-high acidity, and a pleasant finish, contributed by the indigenous varieties Moristel, Parraleta, and Alcañón alongside the remaining authorised varieties.
• The winemaking and ageing practices of the cellars in the zone yield well-balanced wines with colour stability, acidity, and ageing potential, while retaining their fruity aromatic character.

• The distinctive calcisol and gypsisol soils, combined with the pronounced daily temperature range of August and September, promote the intense aromatic character of Somontano wines.

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

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-A0534
• Official trade body site — D.O. Somontano