The ENOFORUM conference in Zaragoza provides an ideal setting for this collaboration. The conference has established itself as a leading gathering for technicians, researchers, winemakers, winery managers, and professionals in the wine sector, with a clear goal: to facilitate the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge to the production sector. In this context, the presence of Aragón Alimentos will allow the region’s rich agricultural output to be showcased to a highly qualified audience, along with initiatives that combine distinctive quality, applied research, and the promotion of the region.

The collaboration will take place through a series of events on May 20 and 21, combining institutional outreach, tastings of products representative of Aragón, and a technical tasting session focused on experimental wines made from native grape varieties.

Aragón, a diverse wine-growing region undergoing rapid technological advances

Talking about Aragón from a winemaking perspective means addressing the diversity of its soils, altitudes, climates, grape varieties, and production methods. The region boasts a long winemaking tradition and a distinct quality landscape that includes seven Designations of Origin and five Protected Geographical Indications for wine, placing it among the Spanish regions with the most recognized winemaking heritage.

Among its quality designations are historic and highly renowned ones such as Cariñena PDO, Campo de Borja PDO, Calatayud PDO, and Somontano PDO, along with others such as Vino de Pago Aylés, Cava PDO, and Urbezo PDO, as well as local wines that express regional diversity through greater varietal and stylistic flexibility. Aragón Alimentos highlights, for example, Cariñena’s identity as the “wine of the stones”, the prominence of Garnacha in Campo de Borja, the high-altitude viticulture of Calatayud, and the modern, fruity, and balanced profile of Somontano.

From a technical standpoint, this diversity makes Aragón a particularly interesting region for contemporary winemaking. Its wine-growing areas range from regions influenced by the Pyrenees to dryland landscapes, inland valleys, and high-altitude vineyards, with conditions that favor very distinct ripening profiles. Garnacha, the region’s flagship variety, coexists with Tempranillo, Macabeo, Chardonnay, and other widely planted varieties, but also with local plant materials whose study is becoming increasingly relevant for addressing challenges such as climate adaptation, sensory differentiation, sustainability, and the recovery of viticultural genetic heritage.

A technical tasting featuring experimental wines made from native grape varieties

One of the highlights of this collaboration will be a technical tasting session, scheduled for May 21, in partnership with the Bodega Experimental de Aragón. The event is intended for a small group of high-level professionals and will last approximately one hour.

During the session, experimental wines made from native grape varieties revived by the Oenology Unit of the Government of Aragon’s Agri-Food Transfer Center will be presented, the result of ongoing research in Aragon.

This tasting will provide a firsthand look at the winemaking potential of local grape varieties and plant materials from clonal selection programs specific to the region, analyzing not only their sensory profile but also their potential value from agronomic, technological, and commercial perspectives.

For winemakers, this type of tasting represents a particularly valuable opportunity. The recovery and evaluation of native grape varieties should not be viewed merely as a matter of preserving heritage, but as a technical tool for expanding the range of available resources in the face of new challenges in the industry.

Adapting to changing climatic conditions, seeking natural acidity, managing alcohol content, developing resistance to water stress, achieving aromatic differentiation, and producing wines with a stronger sense of terroir are some of the factors that make this type of research particularly relevant.

In this regard, the tasting organized at ENOFORUM will enable the transfer of concrete results from applied research to the wine industry, fostering dialogue among research centers, winemaking technicians, winegrowers, and professionals in the field of oenological innovation.

Wine as part of a broader agri-food ecosystem

The collaboration with Aragón Alimentos will not be limited to wine. At the end of the event on May 20, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an aperitivo featuring a tasting of traditional Aragonese products, designed as an immersive experience in the region’s food and agricultural heritage. During this reception, wines from the Bodega Experimental de Aragón will be paired with a selection of products representative of the region.

The initiative is fully in line with the spirit of the “Aragón, sabor de verdad” campaign, which highlights authentic products linked to their place of origin, the work of producers and artisans, and an approach to food centered on quality, sustainability, and local identity. The brand launch document highlights the strategic role of the Aragonese agri-food sector, its productive diversity, its connection to the region, and the relevance of quality labels such as Ternasco de Aragón PGI, Jamón de Teruel PDO, Melocotón de Calanda PDO, Cebolla Fuentes de Ebro PDO, PDO olive oils, and the C’alial guarantee mark.

For a technical audience, this gastronomic dimension also holds oenological interest. Wine cannot be understood in isolation, but rather in relation to a food culture, a production landscape, and a value chain that includes agriculture, livestock farming, processing, marketing, and consumption. The tasting will allow Aragonese wine to be presented not only as a product, but as part of a coherent agri-food system, where origin, quality, and sustainability serve as common pillars.

An invitation to discover Aragón through its culinary techniques and flavors

The first collaboration between ENOFORUM and Aragón Alimentos offers an opportunity to discover Aragón from two perspectives: that of technical knowledge and that of sensory experience.

At a time when the wine industry is seeking solutions to increasingly complex climate, production, and market challenges, initiatives like this underscore the importance of connecting research, producers, technical experts, and the local region. Aragón boasts a well-established winemaking tradition, a remarkable variety of quality designations, and an agri-food heritage whose greatest ambassadors include its wines.

ENOFORUM will thus serve as a prime platform to prove that the future of wine is also built on the preservation of heritage, applied innovation, and the authenticity of the regions. In Zaragoza, on May 20 and 21, Aragón will have the opportunity to showcase to industry professionals what defines its identity: knowledge, quality, diversity, and, above all, authentic flavor.