Bodegas Paniza

Bodegas Paniza is a growers' cooperative in Carinena, founded in 1953 and drawing on around 3,000 hectares in the hills south of Zaragoza in Aragon.

Carinena is one of the oldest wine regions in Spain, granted its appellation in 1932, and it is the only one to have given its name to a grape variety: the Carinena grape, known as Carignan in France and Mazuelo in Rioja. Ironically the region now plants far more Garnacha than the variety that bears its name.

Aragon is Garnacha's heartland. The grape probably originated here before spreading across the Mediterranean, and the old bush vines on the stony hillsides at 400 to 800 metres are among the most valuable plantings in Spain. The climate is harsh, with the cierzo wind blowing cold and dry off the Ebro valley, and yields are correspondingly small. Value from this part of Spain remains exceptional.