Chardonnay Cognac Ice Wine Spain Aragon

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

Ever since the Phoenicians and Romans brought their knowledge of vine cultivation to Spanish soils, the country's culture has grown alongside wine production, with wine being a vital part of Spanish identity and Spanish traditions. Each region of Spain has a wine quite distinct from the others, and it is produced by smallholders and families as much as it is by large companies and established wineries. From the relatively mild and lush regions of La Rioja to the arid plateaus that surround Madrid, grapes are grown in abundance for the now booming Spanish wine industry, and new laws and regulations have recently been put in place to keep the country's standards high. By combining traditional practices with modern technology, Spanish wineries are continuing to produce distinctive wines of great character, flavor and aroma, with the focus shifting in recent decades to quality over quantity.

In the shadow of the mighty Pyrenees mountains in north-east Spain, we find the beautiful and unique region of Aragon. Aragon is a former kingdom and a Spanish community with its own fierce, independent spirit, where people take huge pride in their history and culture, and this shines through in the wine production which takes place here and results in some of Spain’s best and most distinctive wines. One of the things which typifies Aragon and sets it apart from some of the other wine regions of Spain is its huge range of landscapes and climatic conditions. The mountains which form a border between Spain and France create a set of microclimates, which cause huge variation from one sub-region to the next, and within Aragon you can find both sub-zero temperatures in the foothills of the mountains, and scorching heat on the desert plains of Monegros. As such, we end up with a set of wines which swings between radically different flavor profiles and features, making it a truly fascinating region to explore.

Aragon is split into four DOs (designation of origin) sub-regions, each identified for their excellence and unique contribution to the quality of Spanish wine and viticultural identity. These DOs each come with their own strict sets of rules and regulations, dictating which grape varietals are permitted to be grown, how long each wine type should be aged for, and things like the alcohol content minimums in each wine. This helps to standardize quality for the region, and ensures that the wines produced there are worthy of bearing the name of their DO in the bottle.

The four DOs of Aragon are: Somontano, the most famous and widely respected DO in this part of Spain, DO Carinena, DO Calatayud, and DO Campo de Borja.