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The denomination of Cariñena, created in 1932, belongs to part of the autonomous community of Aragón in northern Spain and is one of the oldest protected wine-growing regions in Europe. The Cariñena vineyards are located 50 km southwest of Zaragoza, on a plateau known as the Campo de Cariñena. The altitude of these vineyards ranges from the lower vineyards which lie at about 400m rising to 800m as they approach the Sierra de La Virgen mountains. To the west, they border on the denomination of Calatayud. The region has a continental climate with long, hot, dry summers and cold winters with temperatures reaching as low as -8 deg.C. The cold northerly wind, El Cierzo, helps to maintain low humidity. The main problems for the grape growers are the risk of hailstones, the strong winds and excessive summer heat, as drought can affect the harvest. However, the large difference between daytime and night-time temperatures is a positive contributory factor to the characteristic intensity of the Cariñena wines. The 1990s saw a period of rapid growth in Cariñena thanks to the merger of several smaller wineries and cooperatives, and to the adaptation of the wines produced to suit a more modern palate: fruitier, lighter, more balanced wines. Exports have quadrupled since 1995. Established in 2003, Viñedos y Bodegas Esteban Martín is a family-run, very modern winery located in Alfamén, in the heart of Cariñena. It is surrounded by 150 hectares of estate-owned plots where varieties, best suited to the soils, are grown: the main authorised red varieties, the winery works with, include Garnacha, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah and, in the case of the whites, Viura and Chardonnay, all selected with the greatest of care during the harvest. With very modern facilities and 300 new French and American barrels, the Vinem wines offer a distinctive personality of modernity at affordable prices.
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