Valdejalón

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The predominant soils are Cambisols (Calcaric and Cutric types), Haplic Gypsisol, and Eutric Fluvisol, according to the W.R.B. classification (FAO, 1998), and are slightly alkaline with low organic matter content.
• The climate is predominantly Mediterranean continental, with transition zones towards warm Continental Sub-Mediterranean, and dry steppe conditions also occur in parts of the area.
• In the zone closest to the influence of the Moncayo, the climate is of Mediterranean–Oceanic Transition type, within an area characterised by low annual rainfall and extreme temperatures in both summer and winter.
• The dominant north-easterly wind, known as the cierzo, intensifies the effects of low winter temperatures and occasionally moderates the extreme heat of summer.
• The zone is structured around the river Jalón, and its landscape ranges from steppe environments and plateaux to the wetlands of its riverside woodland and riverbanks, coinciding with the municipalities along the middle course of the Jalón.

• In 1798 Ignacio Jordán de Asso recorded the 741 cahizadas of newly planted vineyards in Calatorao, which the Cathedral Chapter exempted from tithes and first-fruits for ten years to encourage local residents to plant vines.
• Following the phylloxera epidemic in France from 1868 onwards, a commercial agreement emerged that increased production in the Middle Jalón, with French agents purchasing wine directly for transport principally to Bordeaux and Cette.
• Between 1945 and 1961 several wine cooperatives were established in the area, among them San Pedro Arbués de Épila (1945), San Francisco de Asís de Lumpiaque (1955), and Santo Cristo de Calatorao (1961).
• In the 1970s the area under vine cultivation in Valdejalón reached 16,300 hectares, surpassed only by Calatayud and Cariñena, with numerous wineries spread across Morata, La Almunia, Épila, Calatorao, and Ricla.

• The geographical indication admits white wines with a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 11%, rosés with 12%, and reds with 12.5%, as well as liqueur wine with a minimum of 15%. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The slightly alkaline soils with low organic matter content, combined with low rainfall, extreme temperatures, and the dominant north-westerly winds, give Valdejalón a microclimate favourable to vine cultivation, to which the wines owe their reputation.

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 PGI-ES-A0246
• Official trade body site — Gobierno de Aragón — IGP Valdejalón