Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

Somontano, wine zone in the foothills of the central Pyrenees, in aragón in north-east Spain (see map under spain). Somontano (meaning ‘under the mountain’) is one of Spain’s newer wine regions. There are currently some 4,750 ha/11,400 acres under vines. In stark contrast to much of inland Spain, Somontano looks like winemaking country. The heavy winter rains are supplemented by a network of rivers and streams flowing off the mountains. Even in summer, when temperatures can easily reach 35 °C/95 °F, the fields remain green and productive.