Carignan

Carignan is a late budding and ripening grape which requires a warm climate in order to achieve full physiological ripeness.

From there the grape is believed to have spread to other Phoenician colonies, including the settlement at Sulcis, eventually being brought to the Italian mainland and carried around the western Mediterranean basin by the ancient Romans.

Today, ampelographers largely discount this theory due to the lack of historical documentation or evidence from DNA analysis suggesting a Phoenician or Italian origin.

[4] Ampelographers do believe that Carignan is likely a very old variety due to its widespread plantings and the proliferation of numerous different synonyms that give testament to the grape's long history in different wine regions.

The grape likely originated in the Aragon region of northeast Spain where it possibly named after the town of Cariñena in the province of Zaragoza.

[4] In 2006, DNA profiling suggested a parent-offspring relationship between Carignan and the Rioja wine grape Graciano though it was not yet clear which variety is the parent and which is the offspring.

It is more likely, Vouillamoz and others suggest, that Carignan and Graciano were the result of two separate spontaneous crossings of unknown Vitis vinifera parents that occurred somewhere in northeast Spain.

[4] At some point the grape reached Algeria where it became a high yielding "workhorse" variety that was widely exported to France to add color and weight to French wine blends.

The vine is very vigorous and high yielding, able to easily produce 200 hectoliters/hectare (approximately 10.4 tons/acres), if not kept in check by winter pruning or green harvesting during the growing season.

[4] Carignan's tendency to produce short shoots with clusters that grow closely to the trunk of the vine means that it is a difficult variety to harvest mechanically.

However, the economy of scale for blending varieties or grapes destined for lower priced box and jug wines often do not work well with the expense and labor cost of hand-harvesting.

Among the viticultural hazards that Carignan is susceptible to include powdery mildew and infestation of the vine from grape worms and the European Grapevine Moth.

Carignan can be a difficult variety for winemakers to work due to its naturally high acidity, tannins, and astringency which requires a lot of skill to produce a wine of finesse and elegance.

[2] Carignan is found around the globe with the vast majority of plantings in France, followed by Spain and Italy where it is a permitted grape variety in several appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), denominación de origen (DO) and Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regions.

[4] The grape has found an increasing prominence in the Catalan wine region of Priorat, where it is the main variety in the schistous vineyard soils of the northern half of the appellation.

[4] Outside of Catalonia, Mazuelo is mostly a secondary blending variety used to add acidity to the Tempranillo-based wines of Rioja though a few producers, such as Marqués de Murrieta, do make varietal examples of the grape.

[4] The Carignano del Sulcis Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) features a Carignan-based rosso from the Sardinian islands of Sant'Antioco and San Pietro.

Though it is not as prominent today, it is still the country's third most widely planted red grape variety after Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with 800 hectares (2,000 acres) in 2009.

[11] At one point in California's wine history, Carignane (as it is known there) was the third most widely planted grape variety but has since dropped considerably in production.

[4] In Australia the grape was often confused with the Bonvedro vine, which is similarly prone to diseases, but in recent years Australian winemakers have been able to identify true Carignan.

In South Africa, there were 80 hectares (200 acres) of the grape planted in 2012 with the majority found on the shale vineyard soils of the Paardeberg region in Swartland.

Other French synonyms include Carignan noir, Bois Dur, Catalan, Roussillonen, Monestel, and Plant de Lédenon.

In the mid-15th century, the Crown of Aragon stretched from Eastern Spain, across Sardinia and mainland Italy all the way to the eastern Mediterranean. It is during this time that ampelographers believe that Carignan, which likely originated in Aragon, may have been introduced to these lands.
Carignan leaf.
Despite sharing several synonyms, such as Samsó in Catalonia, Carignan and Cinsault (pictured) are genetically distinct.
Carignan blanc and Carignan gris can be found to a limited extent in the French wine region of Roussillon along the Spanish border.
French departments where Carignan is grown.
Old bushvine plantings of Carignan can be found in the Priorat region (vineyard pictured) of Catalonia
More than 97% of Italian Carignan plantings are found in Sardinia (vineyard pictured) where the grape is also known as Bovale Grande.
For many years Carignan was the third most widely planted grape in California where it was a major component in the production of many varieties of jug wines.
Carignan.