Currently Garnacha enjoys great international prestige through wines produced in old vineyards with low yield. But this wasn’t always the case…
At the end of the 20th century there was a downturn that led to Garnacha being associated with wines of lesser quality. The main reasons were the susceptibility to millerandage (or shattering) and the scant resilience of this variety (when it produces many kilos it loses its qualities).
During the 20th century, Châtauneuf du Pape and Rioja were the areas where Garnacha of greatest importance was cultivated, producing wines of recognized prestige.
Garnacha first took off in the middle of the 19th century with the arrival of oidium, a disease that Garnacha showed a greater resistance to than other varieties, and for that reason it was planted more extensively.
The first reference data on Garnacha was in 1513, when Alonso de Herrera spoke of a variety called “Aragonés” which, according to several experts, corresponds to Garnacha. That is why practically everyone recognizes its Spanish origin.
