The Vintae group was established to revolutionise the wine world. Its Proyecto Garnachas started out in 2008 with the aim of rescuing old, neglected vines belonging to this variety in the Ebro valley. La Garnacha Olvidada 2021, an excellent single-varietal grown on the firm’s own vines in the Ribota valley, in Aragón, is a good example of what they do.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Garnacha tinta
Type of barrel
New and second- and third-use French oak barrels
Barrel aging time
5 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Alcohol content (% vol.)
15.5
General Information
La Garnacha Olvidada 2021 comes from old vines planted in the 1940s in pebbly ferrous-clay soils in the Ribota valley (Zaragoza) at an average altitude of 850 metres. The grapes, picked by hand, were of superb quality, with good concentration and rich aromas. They were fermented at less than 25ºC in 15,000-kg concrete vats and macerated for 17 days. The wine finally spent 5 months in new, second- and third-use French oak barrels.
Until not long ago, Garnacha was the most widely grown grape variety in Spain and was even the main grape in Rioja until the 1970s and 1980s. But many winegrowers abandoned it because of its low yields and demanding care.
An initiative of the Vintae group, Proyecto Garnachas is directly linked to Richi Arambarri, the company's CEO, and Raúl Acha, technical director, both natives of Alto Najerilla, the area of Rioja with the highest concentration of old vineyards of this variety, with which they confess to be in love. In fact, their family vineyards were the origin of the undertaking.
Proyecto Garnachas aims to demonstrate that this grape is among the world's greats. It started its journey in 2008, selecting small plots of old Garnacha vines in the Ebro Valley in the regions of Aragón, Catalonia and Rioja. It currently produces a collection of six reds.
La Garnacha Olvidada 2021 (D.O. Calatayud) goes perfectly with meat dishes such as grilled flank of beef or oxtail stew.
Creators' opinion
Appearance: Cherry-red with violet edges.
Nose: Aromas of forest fruit, mocha and cocoa.
Palate: Pleasant tannins that denote the low yield of the old vines, making for a full, flavoursome and fresh palate.
The winery
One of the latest adventures of Vintae is the Proyecto Garnachas de España (2008), directly linked to the group's technical director, Raúl Acha, who confesses to being a lover of this grape. Garnacha was, until not long ago, the most cultivated variety in Spain (it was even the predominant grape in Rioja until the seventies-eighties, surpassing tempranillo). Raúl Acha set out to select small plots of garnacha over a century old throughout the Ebro Valley. Forgotten vineyards, and in some cases, abandoned by their owners due to their low profitability: they barely produce 3-4 bunches per vine and also require complicated viticulture. Now, with these old garnachas from the Ebro Valley, Vintae creates a collection of wines that showcase how this variety behaves in different terroirs.