Valle del Cinca

Spain · IGP · España · 18 commune(s)

Styles

Natural factors

Loamy-clay soils, rich in fine silts, markedly calcareous and with a moderately alkaline pH (7.5–8.5).
Dry sub-humid climate (Thornthwaite classification) with only 334 mm of annual rainfall and a dry period of 90 days (mid-June to mid-September).
A Winkler Index of 1,902 degree-days during the growing season, placing the zone in Winkler Region III.
Prevailing winds from the east and southwest; frost-free period from late April to mid-October (Emberger criterion).
The terrain is flat with gentle elevations, settled on terraces of the left bank of the Cinca, between the eastern Pyrenees and the Ebro depression.

Human factors

Vine cultivation linked to the Knights Templar from the 12th century; in 1240 they founded Belver and developed farmsteads on the very sites where wineries stand today.
In 1585 the chronicler Cock described Belver to Philip II: 'From the village to the river there stretches a most beautiful plain, full of olive trees and vines.'

Terroir / wine link

Alkaline soils (pH 7.5–8.5), low organic matter, and a dry climate with E and SW winds act as a natural filter that selects well-adapted varieties, giving the wine its distinctive character.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the the specification.