Description

I’ve always loved castles. Proper castles, Medieval style with turrets and moats. Growing up in Australia, castles were something of a rarity – we’re blessed with awe-inspiring landscapes and the most ancient culture on the planet but not a castle in sight. At least, not a real one. So while in Navarra researching this report, I started every day with a walk around the impressive castle of Olite, always glowing in the first light of those crisp autumn mornings – the perfect inspiration to get to know the producers and wines of this wonderful region.

Navarra’s history is rich, complex and fascinating, and all intrinsically tied to its natural beauty. From the desert of Bardenas Reales in the south, to the dense forests and mysterious caves of the north, Navarra’s landscapes provide dramatic and differing backdrops to its winemaking. The region is home to the most varied biodiversity in Spain, something that growers and winemakers are now exploiting to produce some of the most thrilling wines in the country.

From elegant, herbal mountain Garnachas to reds with incredible ageing potential, and characterful rosés with serious intensity, Navarra is creating some of the best value wines in Spain. For this report, I tasted 318 wines from 52 individual producers, all proof that the region has a unique story to tell: it is profoundly diverse and quality-focused with a generation of winemakers devoted to its manifold terroirs.

Beth Willard