Mazuelo/Carignan
Classic aromas of Mazuelo are: Black Cherry, Blackberry, Boysenberry, Blackberry Jam, Black Plum and Licorice
Mazuelo is a very old varietal coming from the region of Aragon in north-east Spain. It has many different names such as Carignan (used in France) and Carinena (used in the region of Carinena in Spain).
Though Mazuelo originally comes from Spain, it is now much more important in France. France has 53,155ha of Mazuelo which is nine times more that that of Spain. The clear majority of the plantings are in the Languedoc-Roussillon region that encompasses the entire south of France, the rest being found in the southern Rhone Valley just north of there.
Spain has a total of 6,130ha of Mazuelo which is largely spread over the regions of Aragon, Catalunya and Rioja in the north of Spain. As a rule Mazuelo is used as a blending grape varietal with other red grapes to help give both acidity and colour to the resulting wines – this is true wherever in the world it is planted.
The other historically important region for Mazuelo in Europe is on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Here it is called Carignano and produced under the appellation of Carignano del Sulcis DOC.
As Mazeulo/Carignan has been planted and blended with Grenache and Syrah famously for centuries in the Rhone Valley and in southern France, it is usually found in blends with these two grapes in the new world too. It is found in small numbers across the USA, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia and South Africa.
Mazuelo produces full bodied red wines that are high in tannin and acidity as well as being deep in colour – often deep purple. They will almost always need to be aged for a long period of time in large oak barrels to help soften the tannins. On the nose, Mazuelo will give dark black and purple fruits such as Cherry, Plums, Damson, Blackcurrant and Boysenberry Jam.