Bobal

The Bobal grape variety is a red variety native to Spain, known for its strong colour, delicate aromas and medium to full-body.

Bobal produces deeply coloured wines with high concentrations of anthocyanin and medium tannins. Its intense aromas and flavours include ripe red fruits such as plum, blackberry and raspberry, along with notes of coffee and cocoa.

Bobal is grown mainly in Spain, in the regions of Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha and Utiel-Requena. Bobal prefers a warm climate and a dry soil and is particularly resistant to drought. It has a fairly high yield and needs to be trained and pruned short to bring out its full potential. Bobal has traditionally been only used to produce big quantites of bulk wine, aged in big vessels for a short period of time and then exported. Nowadays winemakers are taking the variety more serious and produce wines that are aged in french oak barrels for up to two years. In Valencia, Bobal is often blended with Monastrell to create lighter, fruit-driven wines. In Castilla-La Mancha, the variety is used to make powerful reds, sometimes blended with Tempranillo and Garnacha. In Utiel-Requena, Bobal is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah to create more balanced, structured wines. Bobal's grippy tannins make it an ideal companion to bold dishes such as red meats, game and hard cheeses.

Bobal has shown to produce outsanding, juicy rose wines and therefore is seeing a bit of a revival.