Juan García

The red variety Juan García is the flagship variety of the up-and-coming DO Arribes.

The red variety Juan García is, in all probability, native to the Arribes del Duero region, a remote wine producing region located halfway between the Castilian provinces of Salamanca and Zamora, near the Spanish-Portuguese border. There is a grape variety of the same name in the Canary Islands, which was probably brought there some centuries ago by Spanish settlers. Interestingly, Juan García is presumed to be a pre-phylloxera variety, which most likely survived the plague due to its high productivity – the best incentive for a winegrower in times of scarcity - and the geographical isolation of its land of origin. Nowadays, Juan García is the flagship variety of the up-and-coming DO Arribes.

A variety with a distinctive personality, Juan García produces medium-sized, highly compact grape bunches composed of elliptical grapes with blue-black skin and uncoloured flesh. An early ripening variety, it is quite resistant to disease, although it has a certain propensity to botrytis when planted in fertile soils. Due to the compactness of the bunches, some grapes naturally become raisins, this being a defining trait of the grape. Although its organoleptic characteristics ultimately depend on the terroir in which it grows, the Juan García variety typically produces wines with a moderate acidity, smooth tannins and an ABV ranging from 12% to 13.5%. A versatile and aromatic variety, Juan García works well alone and also as an ingredient of blended wines.

As regards synonyms, the Juan García variety is known as Malvasía Negra in some regions of Salamanca. In the area bordering Portugal there is also the Joan Garçía variety, whose characteristics are very similar to its Spanish counterpart.