I have been a fan of Bodegas Borsao ever since we first stocked one of their wines back in the 1990s. At the time, Robert Parker awarded it around 95 points – a remarkable score for a wine that cost roughly £5 a bottle, and almost unheard of at that price point. So when the opportunity came to take delivery of the Borsao Garnacha, it was an easy decision. We’re delighted to have it on the shelves here at Fareham Wine Cellar.
Bodegas Borsao is, in the best possible way, a co-operative of co-operatives. Established in 2001, it brings together three of the most progressive co-operative cellars in the Campo de Borja wine-growing region of northern Spain. Between them, they work with 620 member growers farming across 2,500 hectares – nearly a third of the entire region’s vineyard area.
This scale gives Borsao a huge advantage: access to old Garnacha vines from across a wide range of plots and altitudes, all carefully managed by growers with generations of experience in the region.
The Denominación de Origen (DO) Campo de Borja sits in the northwest of Zaragoza province, in the Aragon region of northeastern Spain. Geographically, it lies between the Ebro Valley and the Iberian mountain ranges – a dramatic landscape dominated by the imposing Moncayo mountain.
The Moncayo is key to understanding why Campo de Borja produces such characterful Garnacha. Its presence creates a distinctive microclimate across the vineyards that lie in its foothills: hot, dry days and cool nights, with an arid climate that stresses the vines just enough to produce concentrated, flavourful fruit. These are almost perfect conditions for Garnacha (Grenache) to thrive.
Region: Campo de Borja, Aragon, Spain Grape: Garnacha (Grenache) Price: Under £6
Currently on sale for less than £6 a bottle, this is a genuinely impressive value red wine. On the nose, you get everything you’d hope for from a good Garnacha – juicy bramble, ripe cherry and a characteristic white pepper spiciness. On the palate, it’s soft and generous, with good natural acidity and a more subtle, lingering spice.
In summer, this would be a near-perfect barbecue wine. Given that we’re writing this in February with temperatures firmly in the single digits, we’d suggest trying it with bangers and mash – ideally made with Hampshire Herby sausages from Phil’s Sausages if you’re local to Fareham!
The world of Spanish Garnacha has evolved considerably in recent years. Alongside the ripe, fruit-forward style that Borsao does so well, there is a growing movement towards fresher, purer and more terroir-driven expressions of the grape. If that style appeals to you, the best starting point is Bodegas Jiménez-Landi and their wines El Corralón and Sotorrondero – benchmark examples of this exciting new direction for Garnacha.
