Carignan (; also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterranean and around the globe. Along with Aramon, it was considered one of the main grapes responsible for France's wine lake and was a substantial producer in jug wine production in California's Central Valley but in recent years, it has been reborn as a flagship wine for many cellars in the south of France as well as in Catalonia.

Ampelographers believe that the grape likely originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. The variety was historically a component of Rioja's red wine blend. The grape's prominence in France hit a high point in 1988 when it accounted for and was France's most widely planted grape variety. That year, in a drive to increase the overall quality of European wine and to reduce the growing wine lake phenomenon, the European Union started an aggressive vine pull scheme where vineyard owners were offered cash subsidies in exchange for pulling up their vines. Out of all the French wine varieties, Carignan was the most widely affected dropping by 2000 to 95,700 ha (236,000 acres) and being surpassed by Merlot as the most widely planted grape.

The popularity of Carignan was largely tied to its ability to produce very large yields in the range of 200 hl/ha (11 tons/acre). The vine faces significant sensitivity to several viticultural hazards including rot, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and grape worms. Carignan is a late budding and ripening grape which requires a warm climate in order to achieve full physiological ripeness.

A white grape mutation known as Carignan blanc and a pink-berried Carignan gris also exists in Roussillon in small plantings of around and , respectively, reported in 2008. Bobal (a Spanish wine grape that is also known as Carignan d'Espagne), Aubun (a French wine grape that is also known as Carignan de Bedoin, Carignan de Bedouin, and Carignan de Gigondas), Alicante Bouschet (French teinturier grape that is also known as Carignan jaune), and Grenache (which is also known as Carignan rouge, Carignane rosso, and Carignane rousse).

Over the years Carignan has been crossed with several varieties to create new wine grapes including with Cabernet Sauvignon to give Ruby Cabernet and with the Portuguese wine grape Souzão to produce Argaman. First discovered in the early 20th century, there were of the grape planted in France in the 1960s but by 2009 that figure had dropped to . In Spain, Carignan blanc (known as Cariñena blanca throughout most of the country, Samsó blanco in Catalonia, and Carinyena blanc in the Empordà (DO)) is even more rarely found with only planted throughout the country in 2008. Here the grape is mostly used for blending with Macabeo, with a very few varietal examples produced.

Like Carignan noir, both Carignan blanc and Carignan gris are late budding and late ripening varieties that are highly susceptible to powdery mildew. According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, Carignan blanc tends to produce full-bodied white wines that can have high acid and alcohol levels with very little aromatics. While the wines tend to be "shy" in the nose, Robinson notes that the palate can be "luscious" with light, citrus notes. In 2009, Aragon has just dedicated to the grape.

Other New World regions

In Mexico, plantings of Carignan are found in the states of Aguascalientes, Sonora, and Zacatecas. In Chile, old vines of plantings of Carignan are grown without irrigation in the Maule region which accounted for the majority of the country's plantings of the grape in 2008. In Argentina there was just of the grape while Uruguay had planted in 2009.

Synonyms for the white-berried mutation Carignan blanc include: Feher Carignan and Karinjan.

Synonyms for the pink-berried mutation Carignan gris include: Szuerke Carignan.

References

  • Carignan Renaissance
  • Carignan at Wine on VI