🍇 Carignan
A Mediterranean red grape making dense dark wines, widely grown in southern France.
Carignan is a red grape of the Mediterranean. It gives dense dark wines with good acidity and tannins. There is a lot of it in the south of France, especially in Languedoc and Roussillon. It also grows in Spain, in Catalonia, where it is called Cariñena or Samsó.
The vine is hardy and copes well with heat and drought. Old vines, several decades old, give a small crop, but the wine from them is deeper and more interesting. That is why Priorat, Montsant and other places prize old vines in particular. In Sardinia it makes Carignano del Sulcis.
Carignan is often blended with other grapes. It goes into blends with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre in many appellations of southern France: Corbières, Fitou, Minervois, Saint-Chinian, Terrasses du Larzac. The grape has mutations with a different berry colour: Carignan Gris and Carignan Blanc.
Carignan was once used for simple mass-market wines. Today it is valued again: old vines give serious, rich wines.
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ French wine
- Where it grows
- 📍 Languedoc, 📍 Roussillon, 📍 Priorat, 📍 Sardinia, 📍 Languedoc-Roussillon, 📍 Catalonia, 📍 Montsant, 📍 Empordà, 📍 Cariñena
- Main grape in
- France: 📜 Collioure, 📜 Côtes du Roussillon, 📜 Fitou, 📜 Minervois, 📜 Saint-Chinian, 📜 Terrasses du Larzac, 📜 Corbières, 📍 Languedoc, 📜 Boutenac, 📜 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, 📜 Faugères, 📜 La Livinière
Spain: 📍 Cariñena, 📍 Empordà, 📍 Montsant, 📍 Priorat
Italy: 📜 Carignano del Sulcis - Wines made from it
- 🍷 Rosé
- Offspring
- 🍇 Argaman, 🍇 Clarin, 🍇 Olmo F 2-7, 🍇 Ruby Cabernet, 🍇 Morrastel Bouschet, 🍇 Carignan Gris
- Parents
- 🍇 Castellana Blanca
Frequently asked questions
What is the Carignan grape?
A red Mediterranean grape that gives dense dark wines with good acidity and tannins.
Where does Carignan grow?
In southern France (Languedoc, Roussillon), in Spain (Catalonia, Priorat, Montsant) and in Sardinia.
Why are old Carignan vines prized?
They give a small crop, but the wine is deeper and more interesting.
Similar
🍇 Mourvèdre · 🍇 Grenache · 🍇 Syrah · 🍇 Cinsaut · 🍇 Tourbat · 🍇 Clairette Rose