Navarra DO (Denominación de Origen) is an important wine producing region within the autonomous Spanish community of Navarra (Navarre in English) and is located north of La Rioja and south of the Basque country. Most of the area's vineyards are located on the rolling slopes of the Pyrenees (Los Pirineos in Spanish) which separates the country from France.
The location of Navarra makes it a unique region as three different climatic conditions affect the vines here. The proximity to the Atlantic in the northwest helps to moderate the temperatures created by the Mediterranean effects and the continentality, largely due to the shelter from the Pyrenees. The Ebro river in its south also affects its grape growing conditions. This diversity is displayed by the region's six different sub-regions as listed in the table below.
Traditionally, Navarra has been a rosé wine (Rosado) zone with Garnacha producing the best examples. These are often dry and fruity, a good accompaniment to the hearty local cuisine. The success and subsequent demand of Tempranillo based red wines has motivated growers to produce more of this noble variety and now it leads the production in the region. The recent trend has been towards concentrated, fruity, yet oak influenced red wines. In fact, a part of the Navarra is classified as Rioja DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada).
Very good examples of varietal red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are also produced apart from the region's two other specialties (Tempranillo and Garnacha). A small quantity of white wine is mainly based on Chardonnay, Viura and Garnacha Blanca.
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