Collection: D.O. Campo de Borja

When Campo de Borja acquired D.O. status in 1980, producers started bottling their own wines. In 1989, the D.O. was extended to comprise white wines too and in 1991 and 1992 changes were made, so that the wine region could be enlarged to include the municipality of Maleján. From then on, the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah were also permitted.

Borja, the largest town in the D.O., is located to the northwest of the city of Zaragoza in Aragon. It is surrounded by 7,000 hectares of vineyards. Geographically speaking, this area is a continuation of Navarra, to the south of the river Ebro, the first part of the headwaters before the city of Zaragoza.

The vineyards can be found at altitudes of 350 to 750 metres on the slopes of the Sierra de Moncayo that descend from the west towards the low hills in the east. The D.O. Campo de Borja was originally seen as having two zones: Llanos de Plasencia to the south and Ribera del Huecho to the north. 

The landscape is a succession of high plateaus along the valley of the Ebro River. The soil consists mainly of sandy earth on limestone, making it stony and well drained. The altitude and the soil lend themselves very well to the production of good quality wines.

Just like in other winemaking areas in Aragon, Campo de Borja has an extreme continental climate with long, hot summers and very cold winters. Frost and hail are frequent late into the spring. A cold and dry north wind, known as the ‘Cierzo’, is typical of the region and rainfall is scarce.

All the traditional Spanish grape varieties can be found in Campo de Borja: Garnacha for red and rosé wine; Tempranillo, which is added to make the wines better for ageing; Macabeo, which enables Campo de Borja to make white D.O. wines too, and Moscatel for making sweet wines. Other permitted varieties include Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah and Chardonnay.

The vines are planted at a density of between 1,500 and 4,000 vines per hectare and vines in exposed places are planted low to avoid wind and extreme heat.  

The best wines from Campo de Borja are made with temperature-controlled equipment that enables as much expression as possible to the intensity and personality of the grapes and the climate. Due to their firmness and fruitiness, these are Aragon's heaviest wines.

The ancient oak barrels used to ferment wines in the maze of wine cellars of the hilltop villages still exist. Nowadays, they are only used for storage and they are being gradually replaced with concrete tanks.

© Photo: Markus Winkler