Cariñena

Cariñena is a village in the province of Zaragoza and the capital of the comarca Campo de Cariñena. It gave its name to the Cariñena grape, known in France as Carignan, and in Roman times, as Carae, its people were recorded drinking wine mixed with honey. The Cariñena DOP, created in 1932, is among the oldest protected growing areas in Europe, with vineyards on a plateau about 50 km southwest of Zaragoza rising from 400 m to 800 m towards the Sierra de la Virgen. King Alfonso XIII made it a city for the quality of its wines. Summers are long and hot and the cierzo wind keeps the air dry.