BODEGAS CORRAL
Our Vineyards
The vineyards of Bodegas Corral form an important part of their operations, enabling them to control the proportions of different grape varieties and to guarantee the correct treatment and cultivation of the vines, maintaining their own high standards.
Bodegas Corral’s winegrowers experts know how to extract the most appreciated qualities from the vines, thanks to the precise and constant care that they do in the vineyards: pruning, tilling the land, monitoring the first shoots and their slow maturation … and when the harvest arrives, the effort is rewarded with exceptional grapes.
Vineyards
Grape Varieties
Experience has shown that certain grape varieties produce the greatest wines and therefore these are grown on the Corral Domaine, such as Tempranillo, Grenache, Mazuelo and Graciano for the Red wines and Viura and Malvasia for the White wines.
But overall, it is the Tempranillo grape which deserves special attention, since it is undoubtly the supreme variety in Rioja. Tempranillo produces wines with moderate alcoholic degree and acidity, open to the palate and ability to age particulary well, as it does not lose its freshness.
Variety
Tempranillo
Considered native to Rioja, it is the wine region’s most typical grape. It is the origin of the identity of its wines and one of the great grape varieties in the world. It occupies more than 75% of the region’s vineyards and it is very versatile from an oenological viewpoint. It is capable of producing wines that can withstand long ageing periods, with a good balance of alcohol content, colour and acidity, and an honest, smooth, fruity mouthfeel that turns velvety as it ages.
Variety
Grenache
This grape variety native to Spain is the most extensively grown variety in the world . In Rioja, it complements the Tempranillo with its aromas and body. With good extract and alcohol content, its wines vary depending on environmental conditions (temperature) and tending practices (production). In warm areas, it produces the kind of wine that has given it its reputation as a rugged grape but in cool areas it produces very interesting, well-balanced wines, particularly rosés. Prone to coulure, this is nonetheless a hardy plant, able to withstand periods of drought, and also fairly resistant to pests and major vine diseases such as rust mites and powdery mildew; hence its popularity among growers. Synonyms found in ampelographic collections around the world include: Abundante, Alicante, Cannonaddu.
Variety
Graciano
Graciano is an indigenous grape variety and its cultivation is very limited in other areas. Shown to be an excellent complement to Tempranillo in the ageing process, this grape has a promising future in Rioja, where its planted surface area has increased significantly in the last few years, although it has yet to reach pre-phylloxera figures. It requires clay-limestone soils and a cool climate. It is fairly resistant to mildew and powdery mildew, with low fertility rates and late maturing. It offers wines with a marked acidity and polyphenolic content, ideal for ageing, with a unique aroma that is much more intense than those of other varieties in Rioja. Synonyms found in ampelographic collections around the world include: Bastardo Nero, Bordelais, Cagnolale, Cagnovali Negro.
Variety
Mazuelo
There is evidence that this grape variety has been grown in Rioja for several centuries, but today it barely covers 3% of the wine region’s vineyards. It is more productive than other red varieties, albeit particularly sensitive to powdery mildew and needs more heat summation to mature. Although short on flavours, it produces wines with abundant tannins, high acidity and stable colour, all of which makes it a good complement to Tempranillo for wines to be aged for long periods. In the rest of the world it is mainly known as Carignan Noir, given its French origin.
Variety
White Tempranillo
This grape variety comes from a natural genetic mutation originating from one single cutting from a Red Tempranillo vine in 1988 in an old vineyard in Murillo del Río Leza (La Rioja). The bunch is medium-sized and loose; the berry is also medium-sized and very slightly flat in shape. It buds late, and its veraison and ripening are early. The total acidity remains high with a particularly high level of malic acid. Its wines show a high concentration in volatile compounds with fruity aromas.
Variety
Viura
The main white grape variety grown in Rioja, it is more productive than the red varieties and offers fruity wines with floral aromas and a remarkable acidity, making ideal for both young and aged whites. Oak-aged whites are traditional in Rioja, a practice that has been expanded in the last few years to include the fermentation of the must in barrels with its lees. Better known in Spain as Macabeo, the synonyms most frequently quoted are Alcañón, Forcalla, Gredelin, Lardot, , Macabeu, Queue de Renard and Rossan.