Cariñena, Aragon
Encyclopedia
Cariñena is a village in the province of Zaragoza
, in the autonomous community of Aragon
, Spain
. It is the capital of the comarca
Campo de Cariñena
. It is known for its wine
and the cariñena
grape, to which it gave its name. In ancient Roman
times it was known as Carae and it was recorded that in the 3rd Century BC its inhabitants drank wine mixed with honey.
era. Pliny the Elder
, the procurator
of Tarraconensis, named this Roman settlement Carae; the suffix -iniana (thus Cariniana) was characteristic of many Roman manors.
The village Cariniana signified the hamlet and manor situated in the location of Carae and refers to its owner, Carinius. At the end of the second century, a tendency to concentrate the property led to the appearance of the large latifundia whose owners gave their name to places like this. Afterwards, in the Middle Ages, the name followed sound rules to become its current name.
King Alfonso XIII conferred the title of "city" to Cariñena owing to the quality of its wines.
Today, Cariñena is still producing wine, being the main economical activity in the area. Cariñena's wines were well known for its oxidation and high alcohol content, but in the last ten years the wineries of the area have been improving the techniques and the yields, and today is a promising Denomination of Origin in Spain. Tempranillo
, Garnacha
and Cariñena (red grapes) and Macabeo
/Viura are the main varietals, but most of wineries are including grapes such as Merlot
, Syrah, Chardonnay
and others.
Zaragoza (province)
Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
, in the autonomous community of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is the capital of the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
Campo de Cariñena
Campo de Cariñena
Campo de Cariñena is a comarca in central Aragon, Spain. It is located in Teruel Province, in the transitional area between the Iberian System and the Ebro Valley. The most important town is Cariñena....
. It is known for its wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and the cariñena
Cariñena (DO)
Cariñena is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in Cariñena, Aragón, Spain. It is one of the oldest protected growing areas in Europe, the DO having been created in 1932. Cariñena vineyards are located near the centre of Aragón, about 50 km southwest of Zaragoza, on a plateau known...
grape, to which it gave its name. In ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times it was known as Carae and it was recorded that in the 3rd Century BC its inhabitants drank wine mixed with honey.
History
The name Cariñena dates back to the RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
era. Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, the procurator
Procurator (Roman)
A procurator was the title of various officials of the Roman Empire, posts mostly filled by equites . A procurator Augusti was the governor of the smaller imperial provinces...
of Tarraconensis, named this Roman settlement Carae; the suffix -iniana (thus Cariniana) was characteristic of many Roman manors.
The village Cariniana signified the hamlet and manor situated in the location of Carae and refers to its owner, Carinius. At the end of the second century, a tendency to concentrate the property led to the appearance of the large latifundia whose owners gave their name to places like this. Afterwards, in the Middle Ages, the name followed sound rules to become its current name.
King Alfonso XIII conferred the title of "city" to Cariñena owing to the quality of its wines.
Today, Cariñena is still producing wine, being the main economical activity in the area. Cariñena's wines were well known for its oxidation and high alcohol content, but in the last ten years the wineries of the area have been improving the techniques and the yields, and today is a promising Denomination of Origin in Spain. Tempranillo
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...
, Garnacha
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
and Cariñena (red grapes) and Macabeo
Macabeo
Viura, also called Macabeo or Macabeu is a white variety of wine grape.It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France...
/Viura are the main varietals, but most of wineries are including grapes such as Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Syrah, Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
and others.