Moristel is grown almost nowhere else on earth other than
Somontano in
Aragon, northern
Spain. It is used there to produce light-bodied red wines of both moderate acidity and tannin. It is rarely used for varietal wines, and is more commonly blended with Parraleta (another black grape native to Somontano). More recently it has also been blended with
Garnacha (Grenache),
Tempranillo and
Syrah. Moristel can be difficult to grow successfully, and requires a great deal of attention in the vineyard. Moristel was on the brink of extinction before Somontano’s recent elevation to Denominación de Origen (DO) status.
