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Navarra, Spain: The once and future kingdom

Although it could well be argued that anthropomorphising wine regions is never a good idea, I hope I’ll be forgiven for saying that Rioja is the Dita von Teese of the Spanish wine world: it’s got oodles of charm, it’s glamorous and it’s easy on the eye.

But all stars have an entourage, mostly composed of those less obviously attractive than themselves, and Rioja is no exception. Hovering close by, you’ll find her unassuming neighbour Navarra, or Navarre as it is known in English.

Australians have long prided themselves on championing the underdog, especially if the underdog deserves a few words of praise, a scratch behind the ear and a place at the fireside. But if we’re all so keen on the under-mutt, why have so few people tasted – or even heard of – the wines of Navarra? To explain the reasons, you need to look at the history of the region and the state of play in its vineyards and bodegas.

Navarra lies in the northern part of Spain, just across the Ebro River from Rioja. To a medieval wine enthusiast, it would have seemed obvious that Navarra’s vinous renown would spread far and wide, not least because it was on the main pilgrims’ road to Santiago de Compostela – one of the era’s most important shrines – and the countryside was littered with monasteries, each with its own vineyard. In addition, the fact that the region was fought over for centuries by the rulers of France, Castile and Aragon meant that Navarra was exposed to a wealth of viticultural influences.

Its moment of glory came during the middle of the 19th century, when phylloxera wiped out France’s best vineyards. Many of the country’s top winemakers packed their bags and sought other regions in which they could grow their grapes. Navarra and Rioja, being a relatively short hop across the border from south-west France and the Gironde estuary, benefitted from an influx of knowledge and new grape varieties. Furthermore, European wine drinkers, deprived of their regular sources of liquid sustenance, began looking south. For a few years, Navarra was at the centre of wine’s equivalent of the California gold rush.

Then the inevitable happened. Phylloxera spread south and the Navarran vineyards were destroyed – 48,500 hectares of the 49,213 hectares under vine were lost. Just as quickly as they’d arrived, the good times vanished.

Although the vineyards were largely replanted during the 20th century, the economic climate in the region dictated that grape growers seek security in the creation of cooperatives dedicated to producing large volumes of low-quality table wine. And in terms of making its mark on the international map, Navarra’s main claim to fame for much of the 20th century has been the annual running of the bulls in its capital city, Pamplona (the backdrop to Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises).

But for the past decade, Navarra has focused on improving the quality of its wines. A few viticultural families kept the faith through the dark times and are now at the forefront of the revival in interest in the region’s winemaking potential, supported by several new players. The return to quality was recognised recently with Bodegas Julián Chivite being awarded Pago status for its Señorío de Arínzano vineyards – one of only five such Denomiacións de Origen (the highest level of classification) in the country.

So why isn’t Navarra more recognised? Part of the problem has to be the region’s broad base. Where Rioja is famous for its age-worthy tempranillo and Rías Baixas is becoming well known for its crisply fruited albariño, Navarra DO regulations permit the use of 11 grape varieties: garnacha (grenache), tempranillo, mazuelo (carignan), graciano, cabernet sauvignon and merlot for reds and rosados (rosés), and viura (macabeo), chardonnay, muscat, grenache blanc and malvasia for the whites. There’s even talk of expanding the DO regulations to allow growers to plant other varieties, including syrah and viognier.

In addition, the Navarra DO is split into five subregions, each of which differ markedly in their soil types and climatic conditions, with levels of rainfall a crucial factor in establishing which grapes thrive in any given vineyard. Of the subregions (the Lower Mountain region, Tierra Estella, Valdizarbe, Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja), Tierra Estella, Valdizarbe and parts of Ribera Alta are considered the zones most conducive to growing high-quality grapes. The best vineyards tend to be in the cooler, wetter, more mountainous parts of the Navarra DO zone, although some of these areas are prone to frosts at key times of the year.

Neither a wide variety of terroirs nor grape varieties should pose too much of a problem when it comes to establishing a reputation for making good wines. Navarra’s key issue lies in the fact that there’s no distinctive style of wine associated with the region. On my most recent visit, I tasted dry whites made from viura and chardonnay, fortified and naturally sweet white and sweet sparkling wines made from muscat, rosados based on garnacha and merlot, single-varietal reds, and reds made from a traditional blend of varying proportions of tempranillo and garnacha with the optional addition of dollops of graciano and mazuelo. I also tried Bordeaux blends and cabernet-tempranillo blends, well-balanced wines of about 12.5 per cent alcohol and well-balanced wines of 14.5 per cent alcohol, as well as a couple of shockingly overblown, hot wines that came in at about 14 per cent.

When you ask the region’s winemakers to explain Navarra’s unique selling proposition, they scratch their heads and look bemused. From the perspective of an enthusiast prepared to spend a little time to get to know the wines, Navarra’s range of options is wonderful, but if you’ve got to sell a relatively little-known region to the world, you have to start by telling people a fairly simple story.

That story used to be rosé. For a while, if Navarra was known at all it was recognised as the source of most of Spain’s best rosés. Today (and with impeccable timing, given that the rest of the world has fallen in love with pink wine), Navarra’s winemakers have decided they want to be acknowledged for their ability to make top-notch whites, reds and stickies. In short, anything as long as it’s not pink. It’s true to say that the best of Navarra – whether red, white or pink, dry or sweet – hold their own against good wines from almost anywhere in the world. But until the Navarrans figure out how to tell the world what they’re best at, the region is destined to be the quiet handmaiden to Rioja’s buxom, attention-seeking beauty.

WINERIES TO VISIT
Bodegas with links to a 14th-century queen line up beside others with slick, modern operations. It’s all part of Navarra’s rich tapestry. If you want to see them in action, remember to make an appointment.

Bodegas Irache
If you want to get an insight into Navarra’s winemaking history, there are few better places to start than Bodegas Irache. Its vineyards, which supplied wine to the royal houses of Navarra in the Middle Ages, were attached to a monastery that provided a resting place and hospital for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. Visitors to the bodega will be taken to see the wine fountain, a little tap in a wall where pilgrims could help themselves to a cup or two of wine to keep their spirits lifted on the long walk to Galicia.

Just make sure you leave enough time to wander through the bodega’s museum, which contains several artefacts related to the production and enjoyment of wine. If your pockets are deep enough, you can also buy old vintages of the wines; otherwise, just take a peek at the private collection in the cellar, where the oldest drops date back to the inter-war period. Tours and tastings at weekends are by arrangement only, with a minimum of 10 people.
Monasterio de Irache 1, 31240 Ayegui, 948 551 932, www.irache.com.

Bodegas Julián Chivite
“Bodegas Julián Chivite, de padres a hijos desde 1647,” reads the legend – from father to son since 1647. The family-owned Bodegas Chivite is Navarra’s best-known producer, with global distribution and an established place among Spain’s oenophilic elite. It owns three wineries, two of which are in Navarra. Of these, Señorío de Arínzano, the vineyards of which were recently awarded Pago status and are thus no longer DO Navarra wines, is the best. Apart from the fact that some of the area’s top wines are made here (and can be tasted, for a price), the winery itself, designed by prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo, is breathtaking. Visits by appointment only.  
Señorío de Arinzano, Aberin, 31240 Estella, 948 811 000, www.chivite.com.

Bodegas Ochoa
I’ve got a real soft spot for Bodegas Ochoa, and not just because I enjoyed a wonderful picnic there last time I visited. Part of my enjoyment of this family-owned winery is the enthusiasm of the latest Ochoa to take up the winemaking baton. Adriana Ochoa has worked overseas, including a stint at Yalumba under the tutelage of Louisa Rose, but has now returned home to reinvigorate the family business. She’s the latest in a long line of Ochoas to make wine in the region (they have a document dating from 1370 confirming payment for wine delivered to Queen Juana, wife of King Carlos II of Spain), and she’s made some significant improvements to a range that was already in Navarra’s top tier. Visits by arrangement only, for a maximum of 15 people.
Alcalde Maillata No 2, 31390 Olite, 948 740 006, www.bodegasochoa.com.

Bodega de Sarria
Señorío de Sarria’s vineyards lie deep within a forest that borders the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The 100 hectares of vineyards were planted in the 1950s by a Señor Huarte, who had made his fortune in the construction business. His descendants sold the vineyard to a local bank in the 1980s, and when it became clear there was little future in the production of bulk wines, a modernisation drive began in 2001. The end result has been the creation of a range of elegant, contemporary wines which visitors can taste in a dedicated room that, with its varnished wood panelling, looks strangely like the interior of a Swiss chalet. As ever in the Navarra region, visits to Bodega de Sarria are by appointment.
Señorío de Sarria s/n, 31100 Puente la Reina, 948 202 200, www.bodegadesarria.com.

Nekeas
Nekeas’ vineyards are situated in the north of Navarra, where the Sierra del Perdón protects them from the cool winds that flow down from the Pyrenees; but they’re also close enough to the coast to benefit from the maritime influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The result is wines of great freshness and purity. Tours of the vineyards, during which a member of the enthusiastic young winemaking team will explain the various climatic and soil influences on the finished wines, can be arranged by appointment. Or you can just soak up the atmosphere of a countryside full of rolling hills and endless green vineyards.

Rather unusually, you can just rock up at Nekeas on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, between 9am and 1pm or 3.30pm and 5.30pm, without an appointment and enjoy a tour of the winery and a tasting. Booking is best, though, because that way you’ll be sure that someone who speaks English will be there to meet you – and you can get to visit the vineyards, if you want, by arrangement. Minimum four people.
Calle Las Huertas, 31154 Añorbe, 948 350 296, www.nekeas.com.

Bodegas Piedemonte
If Bodegas Irache is a standard-bearer for Navarra’s past, Bodegas Piedemonte, at the foot of the mountain, may well be pointing the way towards the region’s future. Founded in 1992, this cooperative venture prides itself on its modern winemaking facility. Visitors can check out the gleaming rows of stainless-steel vats which contain up to 4 million litres of wine at any one time, or the 4000 oak casks in another cellar, then enjoy a tasting, visit the bodega’s art gallery or stock up on bottles and bag-in-boxes in the shop.

Visits by appointment, Mondays to Fridays, between 11.30am and 4.30pm March to August, 11.30am November to February, and by request during the harvest season.
Calle Rúa Romana, 31390 Olite, 948 712 406, www.piedemonte.com.

Compania Vitivinicola Tandem
Another new kid on the block is Compañia Vitivinícola Tandem, which was founded in January 2003. The company’s slick, architect-designed, gravity-fed winery is in the Yerri Valley, as are the 22 hectares of unirrigated tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot vines. If you drive past the winery at night, you’ll see a beam of light emanating from a skylight at the front of the building, in homage to the monastic tradition of lighting towers at night to create a beacon for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Visits are by appointment.
Ctra Pamplona – Logroño km 35.9, 31292 Lácar, 948 536 031, www.tandem.es.

WINES TO TRY
2004 Señorío de Sarria Viñedo No 7
It’s unusual to find a varietal graciano such as this wine. It shows intense raspberry fruit on the palate, tinged with flowers and spice, and exhibits the grape’s typical crisp acidity, along with firm, ripe tannins. This wine needs to be enjoyed with food, preferably a hunk of rare steak or lamb.

2006 Nekeas El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa
One of Nekeas’ best wines is this lovely, pure garnacha made from some very old vines. It’s packed full of raspberry and pomegranate fruit, tinged with white pepper. Unlike many garnachas, however, this one isn’t overblown and alcoholic, instead being fresh, restrained and extremely more-ish.

2003 Ochoa Crianza Merlot
I’m not usually a great fan of merlot, yet this crianza not only has rich plum cake, chocolate and blueberry on the palate but also a good, ripe, tannic backbone and enough acidity to liven things up. One of a cracking range of varietal crianzas; if you can’t find the merlot, the cabernet sauvignon and the tempranillo are also excellent.

2006 Nekeas Tempranillo Merlot
Nekeas’ blend of tempranillo and merlot (80 per cent of the first grape, the balance made up of the latter in the 2006 version of the wine) is beautifully fresh. Its palate is packed with crunchy plum and mulberry fruit, and has hints of pepper and dark chocolate.

1996 Bodegas Irache Real Irache Gran Reserva
This blend of 60 per cent tempranillo with 10 per cent graciano, 10 per cent mazuelo and 20 per cent garnacha is an old-fashioned wine, but in the best possible way. It’s sweetly oaky, with plenty of vanilla and coconut on the nose. The palate has some pleasant secondary fruit. The tannins have some grip and the acidity is still lively. Nicely balanced.

2004 Compañia Vitivinicola Tandem Ars Nova
Tempranillo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon combine in this youthful wine with ripe dark fruit caged in by oak and chewy tannins. However, there’s enough freshness and fruit on the palate to suggest that it will come round nicely in time.

2001 Señorio de Sarria Reserva Especial
Mainly cabernet sauvignon but with some tempranillo and merlot in the mix, this offers a voluptuous, complex palate of black fruit, spice and licorice cloaking elegant tannins. The oak needs  a bit of time to integrate fully, but it should all come together over the next year or so.

2000 Ochoa Vendimia Seleccionada
Ochoa’s top-of-the-range wine is, as the name suggests, a selection of the best grapes from that year’s harvest (this particular wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot). The 2000 has great depth and complexity, and the fruit, tannins and acidity are all in perfect harmony.

2001 Chivite Colección 125 Reserva
This comes from vineyards that now have Pago status and are not DO Navarra. The blend is based on tempranillo but has 29 per cent merlot and 13 per cent cabernet too. The resulting wine is full of cedary, spicy black fruit supported by firm, ripe tannins.

2007 Señorio de Sarria Viñedo No 5 Rosado
Made from old-vine grenache, this is a deadly serious rosé. Its rich palate is full of rose petal and pomegranate fruit, but it has enough acidity to make it a refreshing mouthful.

2006 Nekeas Odaiza de Vega Sindoa
Made only in exceptional years, there’s so much honeysuckle, spice and minerality woven into the orchard and citrus fruit on this wine’s complex palate that you could be forgiven for mistaking it for some exotic blend from the Rhône.

2005 Bodegas Chivite Colección 125 Blanco
This 100 per cent chardonnay is a dead ringer for top-level Burgundy. A very oaky nose gives way to a refined, elegant palate full of citrus and apple fruit, with nuances of toast and nuts. This is a rich, creamy wine with loads of complexity and finesse.

2006 Bodegas Ochoa Viura and Chardonnay
I wasn’t impressed by a lot of the viura and viura-based wine blends I tasted in Navarra, but this was an exception. It had lovely fresh acidity, giving a lift to a palate that showed lots of floral/citrus and pear fruit.

2006 Bodegas Piedemonte’s Moscatel
A perfumed nose with aromas of white flowers and grapes. There’s some honey on the palate too, along with a refreshing touch of grapefruit pith that helps balance the flavours nicely.

NV Ochoa’s Moscato de Ochoa
This is a unique wine in that it’s the only sparkling I’ve tasted from the region. It’s grapy, fresh and floral. There’s some residual sugar, but it’s more than adequately balanced by the acidity.

2005 Chivite Colección 125 Vendimia Tarvdia
A late-harvest muscat à petit grains – a sweet wine that stands out for its wonderful balance, concentration and length. This wine has long been considered a classic, and it’s easy to see why.

TEXT NATASHA HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHY TOURIST DEPARTMENT OF NAVARRA

This article appeared in the June/July 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.