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PREMIUM

Aragón reds: Panel tasting results

Garnacha stole the show in our tasting of reds from this rural corner of northeastern Spain, but our judges enjoyed discovering the other interesting blends and unusual varieties in the mix, too.

Beth Willard, Valentin Radosav and David Williams tasted 77 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 24 Highly Recommended.

Aragón reds: Panel tasting scores

40 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 24

Recommended 47

Commended 4

Fair 0


Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still red wines from DOs Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Somontano; or IGP regions Bajo Aragón, Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas, Ribera del Jiloca, Ribera del Queiles, Valle del Cinca and Valdejalón; Vino de Pago Ay


From wild and rugged Aragón, this tasting of red wines took us on a journey from the most northerly DO vineyards of Somontano in the foothills of the Pyrenees to the high-elevation (up to 1,000m) vines of Calatayud and further south, to the vast, sparsely populated expanses towards Teruel.

We passed through the vineyards close to Moncayo in Campo de Borja and tasted some great-value wines from Cariñena (the DO region). It was a tasting that naturally focused on Garnacha, the main protagonist of the whole region, but featured some interesting blends of Cariñena (the grape), Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and even Merlot.


Scroll down to see the top results from the Aragón reds panel tasting



Aragón reds panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind


The judges

Beth Willard writes about and promotes Spanish wines in a number of markets globally, having formerly worked for many years in senior wine buying roles in the UK. She is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino and is one of the five Co-Chairs of the DWWA

Valentin Radosav is learning and development manager for 5-star hotels in London. A qualified Advanced Sommelier and a DWWA judge, he was formerly head sommelier at Michelin-starred Gymkhana restaurant in Mayfair, having also previously worked at other top venues in the UK and Dubai

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge


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