Somontano
The stop on the Zaragoza-to-Pyrenees drive. Somontano wineries (Enate, Viñas del Vero) are modern, visitable, and reliably open. Pair with a Pyrenees detour.
Aragón's premier wine region — 'at the foot of the mountains,' producing modern Bordeaux varieties and native Moristel on the southern Pyrenean slopes.
At a Glance
- — You're not combining it with the Pyrenees
Tucked at the foot of the Pyrenees, this region serves as an innovative wine frontier where the cool mountain air shapes a diverse range of Bordeaux-style grapes. The wineries here, such as Enate and Viñas del Vero, are modern and accessible, making them a natural, easy stop on the road from Zaragoza toward the peaks. It is a reliable, refined wine destination that pairs perfectly with an excursion into the high mountains.
How it got here
Barbastro serves as the commercial hub for this winemaking enclave, a town that rose to prominence after the reconquest of the area from the Moors in the eleventh century. The settlement anchored the defensive line against the Taifa of Zaragoza and eventually fell under the ecclesiastical control of the Bishop of Huesca. This heritage shaped the current rural land use, as monastic orders encouraged the cultivation of vines for liturgical use during the medieval era. The transition to large-scale viticulture followed the modernization of agricultural infrastructure in the twentieth century, shifting the focus from subsistence cereal crops to the systematic planting of international and native grape varieties.
Where it sits
The terrain transitions from the Ebro river valley into the broken limestone foothills of the central Pyrenees. Rivers carve deep canyons through the conglomerate hills, creating drainage patterns that favor vine cultivation at lower elevations. Roads winding north toward the high peaks pass through these terraced slopes, which remain quiet during the heat of midsummer. Autumn brings cooler nights that slow the ripening of fruit and color the foliage against the pale, arid soil. The landscape stays sparsely populated compared to the intensive farming zones of the southern plains, retaining a rhythm dictated by the harvest cycles.
What to eat and drink
Cuisine here draws from the rural traditions of Upper Aragón, centering on meat and mountain produce. Ternasco de Aragón, the roasted milk-fed lamb protected by a geographical indication, provides the primary meal for local gatherings. Cooks also prepare chireta, a savory sausage made from sheep offal, rice, and spices. Long-aging grape vines produce the local wine, which carries a distinctive mineral edge from the stony soils. These reds and whites pair with hearty stews featuring legumes or mountain trout caught in the glacial streams that feed the valley floors. Fruit orchards near the riverbanks provide peaches and nectarines for dessert.
Aragón: the whole region
Three landscapes in one region: the Pyrenees and their canyons in the north, the dry Ebro plain with Zaragoza at its centre, and the high, empty south where Teruel's villages and the Maestrazgo stand. It is the least-visited half of…
Minimum 4 days · better 7-8 days · deep 10-12 days
Pair It With
In Aragón
In Aragón
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