Two Spanish wine regions along the Ebro river have recently been lauded due to the increasing quality of their wines; Navarra located North of Rioja and Campo de Borja further east in Aragon. View our selection.
Navarra
This large Spanish DO starts just to the north-east of Rioja and is sandwiched between the River Ebro to the south and the foothills of the Pyrenees to the north. The region is divided into five sub regions of which the most important, in terms of production, is Ribera Baja. Traditionally, this was an area for Garnacha and Tempranillo, but now increasingly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are being cultivated with excellent results. As with Rioja wines, much of the red wine spends some time in oak. White wines are in the minority, but they are gaining a reputation for quality. The main white varieties are Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Chardonnay and Malvasia.
Campo de Borja
A small up and coming area, south east of Navarra between the Ebro valley and the mountains. The climate is continental with some Mediterranean influence. Red wines in Campo de Borj are made mostly from Tempranillo and Garnacha, but also Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Red wines from this region are warm and easy with plenty of ripe fruit. There are a few white wines produced from Macabeo (Viura) and Muscatel. There is an influential co-operative system here which has done much to develop the region as a whole.