About Us Sobre Nos

Casa Aragon is dedicated to revealing the diversity, quality and great value of Spanish wines to a New Zealand audience. Our wines have been carefully selected to showcase a particular region, style of winemaking, grape or winery all with the aim to increase your knowledge and enjoyment of Spanish wine.

The wines we have chosen are largely sourced from Aragón, La Rioja and Navarra in the region of North-Central Spain and others from the region of Catalonia by the east coast and Andalucia in the south (view map here). We will continue adding to this portfolio as we take you on a journey to discover the many personalities and distinct qualities of Spanish wine throughout the regions.

There are a few basic facts relating to Spanish wine which a future devotee of Spanish wine should know:

• There are several levels of wine classification in Spain. The two main ones are Denominacíon de Origen (DO) and Denominacíon de Origen Calificada (DOC) which refer to wine-producing zones that are subject to Europe-wide standards of supervision and quality control.
• The principal native grape in Spain is Tempranillo which is widely planted along with Garnacha. Other notable grapes such as Graciano and Monastrell are used to add finesse or personality to a blended wine. International varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are also used in blends to give complexity and structure to a wine.
• There are four descriptions of wine which refer to its age or aging time in oak barrels:
  • Joven wines, red or white are those harvested in one year and sold the next with little or no time spent in oak barrels.
  • Crianza reds must be aged for a minimum of twenty four months, with at least six months in oak barrels and the rest in bottle.
  • Reserva reds must be aged for a minimum of thirty six months, with at least twelve months in oak barrels and the rest in bottle.
  • Gran Reserva reds are only made from the best vintages of grape and must be aged for a minimum of sixty months, with a least eighteen months in oak barrels and the rest in bottle.

Our Wineries

BODEGAS OCHOA

OCHOA is an exclusive family winery located in the castle surroundings of Olite, Navarra. The head of the family, Javier Ochoa is well known in the area for his commitment to quality control; producing wines with an intimate knowledge of the land and the grapes it produces and applying advanced technological methods to create innovative wines for the thinking wine consumer. His daughter, Adriana Ochoa is also a winemaker whose talent and forward-looking approach has resulted in her first wine, Mil Gracias . The translation, “A Million Thank Yous” is a tribute to her father and also a play on the grape name “Graciano”, a unique variety of grape grown almost exclusively in the Navarra region from which the wine is made. This wine has recently been judged Best Crianza in Navarra 2009. Bodegas Ochoa has also won awards in Spain and on an international level for their Ochoa Crianza, Ochoa Gran Reserva and Moscatel.

Product list: OCHOA Crianza, Mil Gracias, OCHOA Gran Reserva, OCHOA Moscatel.

BODEGAS PIRINEOS

Bodega Pirineos is set in the lush, green setting of Somontano, Aragón, a place with ancient villages, prehistoric caves, river gorges, rich red soil, white blossomed almond trees and vines. Being relatively newer than some of the other wine regions, the style of winemaking in this area is considered to be more contemporary and bold. Bodega Pirineos comprises the original winery and another modern, state-of-the-art facility where huge investments have been made on new equipment and ensuring quality wine production. This winery has also re-established the identity of two unique, indigenous grapes from the area, Moristel and Parraleta which is blended with Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to produce its flagship, award winning Marboré.

Product list: Pirineos Rosé, Montessiera Tinto Joven, Marboré.

BODEGAS UNCASTELLUM

The name Uncastellum refers to the ancient setting of this winery, a fortress set in a rural village where the major economic activity was cereal production. It is an important historical land area in the Aragón region where flora and fauna abound and artisanal production methods continue to be carried out by locals. Ecological viticulture and careful vinification practices at this winery ensure that the intrinsic qualities of their grapes are minimally altered to produce their distinctive and authentic range of organic wines.

Product list: Floral de Uncastellum

BODEGAS DEL MEDIEVO

Bodegas Del Medievo is a winery in Spain’s most well known wine region, La Rioja. The region is divided into three areas and Bodegas Del Medievo’s vineyards are situated in lower Rioja, the warmest and driest of them all. The weather conditions combined with rocky and shallow soil provide ideal conditions for the growth of high quality grapes that are tended to by experienced agriculturalists. The team at Bodegas Del Medievo consist of young, highly motivated individuals who genuinely enjoy what they do. Their work culture is defined by a shared passion for producing expressive, modern and fruit driven wines. Their wines, including the Medievo Crianza have consistently won Spanish wine awards at local and national levels.

Product list: Medievo Crianza

BODEGAS BARBADILLO

Founded in 1821, Bodegas Barbadillo continues to carry out the traditions of a 100% owned family wine cellar. It is located in Cadíz, a coastal province where fishing, agriculture and vineyards co-exist with the city and port on the southwestern tip of the region of Andalucia. The Barbadillo name is well known in Spain and its fame for producing some of the country´s best sherry, brandy and wines is widespread. Their success stories include Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda which is the representative sherry of its region and Castillo de San Diego, a dry white wine which is indicatively the biggest selling white wine in Spain. The Barbadillo Museum of Manzanilla was opened in 2002 to showcase the wine cellar heritage of this winery which has become one of the most important in Spain.

Product list: Brandy de Jerez, Castillo de San Diego

BODEGA MAS OLIVÉ

Mas Olivé is a family-run enterprise with a long tradition in cava- making and production dating back to 1929 and encompassing four generations. It is one of the oldest wineries in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, an area near the city of Barcelona also known as the Cava Capital.

Product list: Mas Oliver Cava