Project Garnacha is a family effort to produce good quality wines from a neglected vineyard in Spain.
The plot was grim when we first took over, a reminder of how things get out of hand when you don't look after them. Planted at 600m altitude the vines enjoy a typical mediterranean weather, low temperatures in winter (2C on average) and high during summer (33C on average). The original vines were planted in 1985-86, currently 29-30 years old. We could hardly open the gate and about a quarter of the original vines had died. Nothing like a good challenge!
Spain is the country with the largest surface dedicated to vine cultivation in the world (1.6m ha). This represents 30% of all vine cultivation in Europe (15% worldwide) followed by France and Italy at 22% of total surface respectively. About half the production is exported to the UK (19%), Germany (20%) and the US (10%). In spite of these figures hundreds of vineyards are abandoned as wine making and wine drinking is seen as unfashionable by young generations of Spaniards.
Spain is the country with the largest surface dedicated to vine cultivation in the world (1.6m ha). This represents 30% of all vine cultivation in Europe (15% worldwide) followed by France and Italy at 22% of total surface respectively. About half the production is exported to the UK (19%), Germany (20%) and the US (10%). In spite of these figures hundreds of vineyards are abandoned as wine making and wine drinking is seen as unfashionable by young generations of Spaniards.