Carignan is a rustic variety, resistant to drought and strong climates. Planted mainly in the Aragón area, as its name indicates, it has been postulated together with Monastrell in one of the interesting varieties to discover in the last decade.
Index
1- Cariñena or Mazuelo variety.
It is one of the varieties with the oldest data on its characteristics and its cultivation.
2- Synonyms:
Cariñena is also known as:
Mazuela, Mazuelo, Samsó, Caranyana, Crinyana, Granyena, Caragnane, Carignan.
3- Clusters:
-The clusters are large in size, with marked shoulders, of berries of uniform size but irregular coloration.
-Compact.
-Very short peduncle.
4- Berries:
-Large, with poisoned epidermis and evolution of the irregular color and blue-black color with a lot of bloom.
-With not very thick and hard skin, very resistant to wounds and cracking.
-Of non-colored pulp, soft but consistent and sometimes hard, juicy.
5- Strains:
-Vigorous, with short internodes and therefore with a high density of leaves, with an upright bearing, high fertility and very good production.
– Late blooming and maturation in the middle season tending to late.
6- Viticulture of Cariñena
-Very sensitive to powdery mildew that can cause great losses due to late attacks on the bunches. It is also very sensitive to tinder.
-Carignan is of medium sensitivity to mildew and botrytis.
-Poorly sensitive to excoriation and euthypiosis.
-It does not usually have problems of attacks by the cluster moth although it is sensitive to it.
-Quite sensitive to mites.
– Little affected by the drought to which it is quite tolerant, it is not very sensitive to the wind.
-It does not support waterlogging or saturation in the soil.
-It does not usually have bleeding problems.
-It is a demanding variety in potassium, being sensitive to the darkening of the pulp if there is a lack of this nutrient.
-It is not demanding neither in phosphorus, nor in nitrogen, nor in magnesium.
-It adapts well to short pruning, although spikes should be avoided.
-It adapts well to any type of soil although it behaves better and gives better productions in stony soils, both alluvial and schist.
7- Oenologically:
-Gives rise to musts with a high sugar content and a lot of color, with a high content of astringent tannins and with bitter and herbaceous aromas.
-It has good acidity.
-Base of alcoholic, colored and other wines that develop good aromas in young wines.
-They are a source of high and adequate acidity.
-Wines from old vines can be excellent.
-Its very aromatic musts, give young wines of a very lively color with floral aromas, predominantly violets, but they have little aromatic stability in their evolution.
-Its tannin content is high so it ages well and produces full-bodied wines.
